Two months before the S&ED, the US Department of Justice indicted five officers of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on 31 counts of charges ranging from computer fraud and hacking to identity theft and economic espionage. In response, China suspended its participation in bilateral military exchanges on cyber threats.
但最严重的对立在网络阵线。战略和经济对话开始前两个月，美国司法部起诉了五名解放军军官，罪名包括电脑欺诈和黑客、盗用身份、经济间谍等31项。中国的反应是中止了中美关于网络威胁的军事交流。与此同时，美国无孔不入的网络间谍行为遭到了曝光，引起了从国会山到柏林的巨大反响，激发了旨在控制基本不受管制的美国国家安全局的立法，也给最重要的美德关系蒙上了一层阴影。