WASHINGTON — US and British officials on Monday (March 25) filed charges, imposed sanctions, and accused Beijing of a sweeping cyberespionage campaign that allegedly hit millions of people including lawmakers, academics and journalists, and companies including defence contractors.

Authorities on both sides of the Atlantic nicknamed the hacking group Advanced Persistent Threat 31 or "APT31", calling it an arm of China's Ministry of State Security. Officials reeled off a laundry list of targets: White House staffers, US senators, British parliamentarians, and government officials across the world who criticised Beijing.