China - Cyber War: Hackers target Western news organizations - by Michael Muskal and Jessica Guynn

More than 30 journalists and executives at Western news organizations in China, including the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, have had their computers hacked, according to the news organizations and a security firm that monitors such attacks.

Over the last four months, the hackers managed to infiltrate the Times' computers, the newspaper reported Thursday. It said hackers had penetrated its computers and obtained passwords for reporters and other employees.

The hackers have been blocked and security tightened to prevent another attack, which followed an investigation by the paper into finances of relatives of Wen Jiabao, China's premier.

Mandiant Corp., a security firm brought into the case by the Times, said it found that hackers using techniques associated with the Chinese military stole emails, contacts and files from 30 journalists and executives and maintained a short list of journalists whose accounts have been repeatedly attacked.

Read more: Hackers target Western news organizations in China - latimes.com

Chinese Premier Kicks off Official Visit to Sweden

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived here Monday afternoon for an official visit to Sweden, aimed at further promoting bilateral ties.

In a written speech upon his arrival at the airport, Wen said that the friendly exchanges between the two peoples have a time-honored history though China and Sweden are located far apart.

Over the past years, the two nations have conducted frequent high-level exchanges, Wen said. And the two sides have reaped bumper harvests in economic and trade cooperation and carried out increasingly close exchanges in various areas, he added.

China attaches great importance to its relations with Sweden and stands ready to make concerted efforts, on the basis of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, to continuously promote the friendship between the two peoples and make fresh progress in advancing practical cooperation in various areas, he said.

For more: Chinese Premier Kicks off Official Visit to Sweden

Chinese PM Wen says: Europe Remains a Major Market for China

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said China will continue to regard Europe as one of its main investment destinations and called on the region to ensure the safety of Chinese-held assets.

China “has always had confidence in the European economy and the euro,” Wen told European Commission President Jose Barroso in a telephone call yesterday, according to a report carried by the state-run Xinhua News Agency. The Asian nation is “closely watching Europe’s economic conditions,” Wen said.
China will continue to “seek diversification in the management of reserve assets,” central bank governor Zhou Xiaochuan said in August. The country holds the world’s largest foreign-currency reserves at more than $3 trillion.

For more: Wen: Europe Remains a Major Market for China - Bloomberg