US, China engage in cyber war games to prevent military escalation

Washington, April 17 (ANI): The United States and China are engaged in 'war games' to prevent military escalation from cyber attacks.

A report in The Guardian has claimed that last year State Department and Pentagon officials, along with their Chinese counterparts, were involved in two war games that were designed to help prevent a sudden military escalation between the sides if either of them felt they were being targeted.

However, these war games have given the US a chance to take out its frustration at what appears to be state-sponsored espionage and theft on an industrial scale.

The war games were organised through the CSIS and a Beijing think tank, the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations.

This gave government officials, and those from the US intelligence agencies, to have contact in a less formal environment.

Known as "Track 1.5" diplomacy, it is the closest governments can get in conflict management without full-blown talks.

In recent months, the US has made clear it is turning its military focus away from Europe towards the Pacific to protect American interests in the region.

Without naming China, a senior executive in the FBI said the threats posed from cyber attacks were alarming.

Frank Cilluffo, who was George Bush's special assistant on homeland security, said the time has come to confront China, and the US has to be proactive or people would start losing confidence in the integrity of the Internet and computer systems.

The state department refused to speak about the war games, or say which officials took part. (ANI)