US, allies’ toothless rebuke of Cyber Enemy No. 1 (Opinion)
But while Monday’s statements add up to a potent international tongue-lashing, none of them suggest Beijing can expect any concrete punishment for its malignant activities. The world’s leading democracies still haven’t decided to treat Beijing as the international menace it has shown itself to be and to back up their words with determined action. Without serious sanctions and a roadmap detailing the kinds of reprisals that could await China’s continued intransigence, it stretches credulity that any of this will move Beijing.
And while the joint statements on Monday made forceful assertions about holding China to account, the follow-up remarks by US allies were more measured.