An official US commission into Washington’s relationship with Beijing yesterday attacked China for its economic and defence policies while signalling fears that recent cyber-attacks were backed by the Chinese state.
The annual survey by the US-China Economic and Security Commission, which is mandated to report to Congress, accused Beijing of manipulating its currency and described the trade deficit with China as “a major drag on the US economy”.
It said China’s air and missile modernisation improved its ability to threaten the US in the Pacific, arguing that Chinese attacks “could force the temporary closure of regional US bases and inhibit the US military’s ability to operate effectively in East Asia”.