The United States has brought out a new charge against China, accusing its hackers of trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research.
Both the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are pushing the allegation.
But neither offered evidence or examples to support it.
“China’s efforts to target these sectors pose a significant threat to our nation’s response to COVID-19,” the two agencies said.
At the moment, there is no proven therapy for COVID-19.
An effective vaccine could allow countries to fully reopen and potentially earn millions of dollars for its creators.
With such high stakes, the two US agencies believed that hackers linked to Beijing are attempting to steal research and intellectual property related to treatments and vaccines.
Washington has increasingly blamed Beijing for the outbreak caused by the virus that first emerged in China late last year.
Asked on Monday about earlier reports that the US believed Chinese hackers were targeting US vaccine research, President Donald Trump replied: “What else is new with China? What else is new? Tell me. I’m not happy with China.”
Beijing has repeatedly denied the US accusations.
