National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said China would face severe consequences if it launches a cyberattack that causes physical destruction in the U.S., and deterring such a move should be a priority for the incoming Trump administration.
Sullivan said in an interview in Washington on Monday that the U.S. has evidence that China is prepositioning for just such an attack at some point in the future, underscoring past concerns from U.S. officials.
“We’ve sent a clear message to China’s leaders that if they did that — if they actually took a physically destructive cyberattack in the United States — that there would be severe consequences,” Sullivan said. “We’re going to have to continue to deter China from doing that because we have seen them setting up or positioning to be able to do that in the future. That’s something the new team will have to continue to work on internally.”