US drafting potential sanctions, curbs over China cyber hacking: sources

Washington

THE Obama administration is drafting an escalating series of actions, including economic sanctions and curbs on doing business in the US, to punish China and other nations that persist in hacking its corporate computer networks, according to two administration officials with knowledge of the planning.

The measures have not yet been decided, the officials said, and the administration is moving cautiously as actions being considered include cyber retaliation, which could reveal information about US government and private cybersecurity capabilities. It could also trigger further online or commercial warfare that would be difficult to contain.