China: US Biggest Attacker of Cyber-Space

China warned the United States Tuesday that it's jeopardizing its military ties by charging five Chinese officers with cyber-spying.

A spokesperson for China's State Internet Information Office called the U.S. "the biggest attacker of China's cyberspace."

The U.S. Justice Department filed charges Monday against several Chinese military officials for computer hacking and cyber espionage.

"We are announcing an indictment against five officers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army for serious cyber security breaches against six American victim companies," Attorney General Eric Holder said at a press conference.

The American companies are all in critical industries, including nuclear power, solar power, and metals.

"The range of trade secrets and other sensitive business information stolen, in this case, is significant and demands an aggressive response," Holder said.

The U.S. government said the hackers used military and intelligence resources to steal massive amounts of industrial information from U.S. businesses, information that would give the Chinese a competitive advantage.

"In some cases they stole trade secrets that would be particularly beneficial to Chinese companies at the time that they were stolen," Holder said.

"In others they stole sensitive internal communications that would provide a competitor or adversary in litigation, with insight into the strategy and vulnerabilities of the American entity," he continued.

Federal officials say the hacking began in 2006 and continued until last month. The most serious charge of economic espionage carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.

But it's unlikely that China will arrest the suspects and send them to the United States for trial.

U.S. intelligence officials have long believed that the Chinese government was engaged in a state-sponsored hacking campaign. This case marks the first time they've had hard evidence to back their claims.