China has accused the US National Security Agency of carrying out long-running cyber intrusions against its National Time Service Center, warning that the alleged breaches risked disruption to communications networks, financial systems, power supply and the international standard time.
In a statement posted on WeChat, China’s Ministry of State Security said it had found evidence of stolen data and credentials dating back to 2022, claiming the US agency “exploited a vulnerability” in the messaging service of a foreign smartphone brand to access staff devices. The ministry added the NSA used “42 types of special cyberattack weapons” to target multiple internal networks and attempted to infiltrate a high‑precision ground‑based timing system in 2023 and 2024. It did not provide the evidence in the post, and did not name the smartphone brand.
The National Time Service Center, a research institute under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, generates, maintains and broadcasts China’s standard time and provides timing services to sectors including communications, finance, power, transport and defence. The ministry said it had given guidance to the centre to “eliminate the risks,” and argued: “The US is accusing others of what it does itself, repeatedly hyping up claims about Chinese cyber threats.”
The US Embassy in Beijing did not directly address the specific allegations in its emailed response, but said cyber actors based in China have compromised major US and global telecommunications networks to conduct “broad significant cyber espionage campaigns.” The embassy spokesperson said: “China is the most active and persistent cyber threat to US government, private‑sector, and critical infrastructure networks.”
The exchange underscores escalating tensions over technology and security between Washington and Beijing. China’s Ministry of Commerce last week announced sweeping controls on rare earth exports, while accusing the US of “deliberately creating unnecessary misunderstanding and panic” about the measures. “The US interpretation seriously distorts and exaggerates China’s measures,” ministry spokesperson He Yongqian told a news conference, according to state media.
US officials have said the restrictions could trigger new tariffs, with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer telling CNBC that Beijing is “trying to control the world’s technology supply chains,” and that whether threatened 100 per cent tariffs take effect “depends on Beijing’s next move.” Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said Washington is pursuing industrial policy to build a domestic rare earths supply chain and would not rule out additional equity stakes to support US companies.
Both sides have indicated they are open to talks, but the latest cyber dispute adds another fault line to a relationship already strained by trade controls, technology competition and defence concerns.
