CHINA/CYBERWAR/TECHNOLOGY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Looming indictments against Chinese government hackers are part of a Trump administration push coming this week to highlight Beijing’s rampant theft of intellectual property and campaign of cyber intrusions, according to The Washington Post. In addition to the indictments over digital breaches, which The Wall Street Journal and POLITICO reported last week, ‘the administration is planning to declassify intelligence relating to the breaches, which date to 2014, and to sanction some of those believed responsible,’ the Post said on Tuesday [12-11-18]. It also reported that the indictments will charge hackers linked to China’s Ministry of State Security, which U.S. officials say has picked up the slack from military operators who backed off following China’s 2015 promise to cease IP theft. The charges come as the White House tries to gain the upper hand in a bitter trade dispute with China that has rattled global markets, but they stem from long-running investigations and a bipartisan frustration with the Chinese government’s cyberattacks.”
–Tim Starks, “Trump administration makes big push against Chinese hackers,” Politico, December 12, 2018 10:00 am