This is getting out of hand.
What began as a series of official denials about Chinese involvement in the cyber attacks that targeted Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) and more than two dozen other U.S. companies has snowballed into a mocking report in the state-run Xinhua news agency deriding a New York Times story linking the attacks to two Chinese universities.
Under the headline, “Chinese netizens make fun of NYT Google hacking report,” Xinhua quoted several Internet users posting comments in online forums describing the Times piece variously as “nonsense,” “a joke” and “science fiction.”
Citing unnamed sources involved with the investigation, the Times story reported that the attacks had been traced to Shanghai Jiaotong University and the Lanxiang Vocational School, though it did not implicate the Chinese government or any other party as being responsible.
Still, the report prompted a set of vigorous denials in Xinhua of any involvement from officials at both schools, followed up by Sunday’s story quoting “Chinese netizens” by their online handles lampooning the Times piece.