US Downplays Spying Accusations in China Hacking Talks

American officials focused on the hacking of corporate secrets during the first meeting of a U.S.- China cybersecurity group in Washington, downplaying their own spying operations exposed by a former government contractor.

The Obama Administration officials raised accusations that the Chinese government is responsible for hacking into companies’ computers to steal intellectual property, according to an official at the meeting who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the discussions. US accusations against the Chinese government have been overshadowed in recent weeks by leaked classified material from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, including that the U.S. has hacked computers in Hong Kong and mainland China since 2009.