Chinese cybersecurity firm that accused NSA of hacking has global ambitions
- Qi An Xin handled cybersecurity at Tiananmen Square for the 70th anniversary of Communist Party rule, and it oversaw network security for the Beijing Winter Games
- China’s cyber industry accounts for less than 7 per cent of the global market, compared to the US at around 40 per cent, according to a study last year
For years, the US government and American cybersecurity companies have alleged that China is behind brazen hacks that have pilfered troves of sensitive documents.
Chinese government officials have denied the claims and repeatedly accused the US of its own cyber-espionage, without providing evidence.
That changed in February, when a well-connected Chinese cybersecurity firm went public with what it claimed was a US National Security Agency campaign aimed at computers in 45 countries and regions, including China. US officials did not respond to requests for comment at the time.
The disclosure suggested a more aggressive public response by China toward foreign hacking attempts. It also highlighted the growing clout of Qi An Xin Technology Group, a Chinese technology firm established in 2014 that has ambitions of becoming a global cybersecurity giant.
The company, whose headquarters are a 10-minute drive from the Forbidden City, has been the beneficiary of a three-year plan, unveiled last year, to expand China’s cybersecurity industry to more than 250 billion yuan (US$39.3 billion) by 2023 by increasing investments in the sector and streamlining regulation.
