Chinese govt. complied with U.S. request to arrest hackers

But with the arrests having occurred amid ongoing talks concerning the possible imposition of sanctions against China as a result of wave of cyberattacks, the White House is now waiting to see if authorities will move forward with prosecuting the supposed criminals or let their actions slide.

Just weeks before Chinese President Xi Jinping was to visit to the U.S. last month, the USA threatened economic sanctions against Chinese companies engaging in cyberespionage against United States businesses.

The identities of the arrested individuals are unknown, but the Post claims the hackers were accused of state-sponsored economic espionage; they are believed to have stolen intellectual property by hacking the records of foreign companies on behalf of the Chinese government.

A few USA citizens of Chinese descent have been accused of spying for China, and critics have said the Federal Bureau of Investigation is caught up in a new “red scare” targeting innocent people.

According to the Washington Post newspaper, the U.S. intelligence has recently compiled a list of hackers Washington wanted arrested, after years of accusations that China was not doing enough to stop cybercrime which was costing USA firms substantial amounts of money. “We gave them a list”, an unnamed source told the Post, “and we said, ‘Look, here’s these guys”.

The arrests mark the first time China has complied with US requests for the arrest of hackers within China’s borders. Accordingly it won’t be taking the threat of sanctions off the table if China does not keep up its end of the bargain.