“When the Chinese penetrated Google in late 2009 — yes, that operation was Chinese, and yes, it was done with the blessing of a member of the Politburo — they weren’t after customer information. They were after the source code that makes Google unique. Nor was Google the only victim: Thousands of U.S. and Western firms were penetrated in that affair. Foreign governments — and not only the Chinese — understand that they cannot compete with the United States militarily and politically if they cannot compete with it economically, so their intelligence services want to steal its corporate intellectual property. This is the technology that gives America its competitive edge, and often it has nothing to do with defense. Ordinary companies with valuable technology are now being targeted by nation-states. This is a new era. National security and economic security have converged. “
Source: The Calm Before the Storm – By Joel Brenner | Foreign Policy