China accuses US of hypocrisy over internet spying
The Chinese Ministry of National Defence has accused the United States of hypocrisy over cybersurveillance and said the disclosures made by Edward Snowden bolstered the case for China's internet security efforts. - These were the harshest public comments so far from the Chinese government about Mr Snowden's revelations. Until now, the Chinese government's comments on the disclosures have come through its foreign ministry, which has used relatively muted words to answer reporters' questions about Mr Snowden's allegations. Mr Snowden, a former CIA [NSA] employee, has described US monitoring of Chinese internet sites and installations, and Prism, a National Security Agency program to mine internet information. In recent days, Chinese state-run media have amplified criticisms of the United States, and the remarks from the defence ministry spokesman, Colonel Yang Yujun, struck a tougher tone. He did not refer explicitly to the United States, but he left no doubt about his target.