China accuses Cisco of supporting US cyberwar efforts

China is attacking secret surveillance programs of the US government with harsh words from its state-controlled press, accusing Cisco of helping the US in cyber espionage.

China Youth Daily also published an editorial alleging that US networking gear supplier Cisco had aided the spying activities. While the company has helped build China's Internet infrastructure, Cisco also deliberately installed backdoor surveillance tools into its equipment, the editorial said.

The company "has played a disgraceful role, becoming a pillar to help spread the US' power over the Internet," it added. The editorial demanded that all Cisco equipment be checked for security threats and that China create an organization to inspect networking gear, especially imported products.