Chinese security officials claimed on Tuesday that three individuals from the US National Security Agency (NSA) attacked the information infrastructure during the 9th Asian Winter Games held in the Northeastern city of Harbin in February.

Police named three US individuals working in the NSA's Office of Tailored Access Operations, an intelligence-gathering unit on cyber warfare, in a statement released on Weibo, Chinese social media platform.

These hackers also "repeatedly carried out cyber attacks" on the Chinese telecommunication company Huawei and other businesses, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said.

These allegations come as the world's two largest economies, the US and China, spiral into a trade war following Donald Trump's Tariffs.

What information did the hackers target? 

According to Xinhua, the NSA purchased IP addresses in different countries and "anonymously" rented a large number of network servers in Europe and Asia."

The cyberattacks peaked at the first ice hockey game on February 3, 2025, it added. 

The attacks allegedly targeted sensitive data, including the Asian Winter Games' registration system details, athletes' personal information, entry-exit management systems and card payments between January 26 and February 14, 2025.

Xinhua stated that officials "uncovered evidence" involving the US institutes, Virginia Tech and the University of California, in a "coordinated campaign" against the 9th Asian Winter Games. Police did not specify how they were involved.

Chinese officials also announced an unspecified reward for people who could provide information on the three US individuals and "cooperate with public security organs in arresting" them, Xinhua reported.

Those guilty of espionage in China can face life imprisonment or the death penalty under Chinese law. In March, China's Ministry of State sentenced a former engineer to death for leaking state secrets to a foreign power.  

Meanwhile, in March, the US and UK officials accused Beijing of a cyberespionage campaign that targeted White House employees, US senators, British parliamentarians, academics, journalists and government officials across the world who criticized Beijing.

Since 2019, the Chinese company Huawei has also faced US sanctions due to national security concerns.

Edited by: Zac Crellin