Tough decision
U.S. officials are debating whether or not to issue economic sanctions against China for its alleged involvement in various cyber crimes. According to a report in The Washington Post, the Obama Administration is fed up with China's cyber shenanigans and has drafted a set of "unprecedented" sanctions in retaliation for Chinese companies and individuals benefiting from cybertheft of U.S. trade secrets.
The U.S. has never issued economic sanctions against overseas entities and individuals on the basis of cyber espionage, and it still might not happen. While a draft of the proposed sanctions exist, it's not yet been decided whether to issue them. A final decision could come by the second week of September.
Hackers in China are believed to be responsible for several separate cyber attacks against the U.S. with various information having been stolen, including nuclear power plant designs and search engine source code, to name just two examples.
While some in the White House are eager to push ahead with sanctions against China, others fear that they will do little to curb China's behavior. Some also warn that China may retaliate by freezing U.S. companies out of contracts or markets, though other officials argue that's already the case.
President Xi Jinping of China is scheduled to make his first visit to Washington next month where there will be a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn.
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