Coming just days before Chinese President Hu's visit to Washington, a new report is bound to fan the flames anti—Chinese feeling and strengthen the hand of hawks in the Pentagon calling for a stronger policy 'to contain' the Middle Kingdom. According to the Washington Post, China—based computer hackers have targeted the unclassified systems at the Pentagon and other federal offices. 

While claiming classified systems have not been compromised, The Post writes:

"The scope of this thing is surprisingly big," said one of four government officials who spoke separately about the incidents, which stretch back as far as two or three years and have been code—named Titan Rain by U.S. investigators. All officials insisted on anonymity, given the sensitivity of the matter.

While this story will not come as a surprise to the many people concerned about the growing economic and political power of Beijing, this politically timed report will definitely turn up the pressure on President Bush to take a more hard—line approach in a bilateral relationship plagued by trade disputes and North Korea's nuclear—arms ambitions. 

Related American Thinker articles:
China GPS      
China Weakness
China Cyber Worries

Brian Schwarz   8 26 05