BEIJING - A Pentagon report that China is conducting cyber attacks against the United States is irresponsible and harmful to the mutual trust between the two countries, according to a military expert on Tuesday.

In its annual report to Congress on Chinese military developments, the Pentagon said the US government continues to be targeted with (cyber) intrusions, "some of which appear to be attributable directly to the Chinese government and military."

In response, Wang Xinjun, a researcher with the Academy of Military Sciences of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, said it was irresponsible for the Pentagon to make such an assertion as the Chinese government and armed forces have never sanctioned hacking activities.

"Although it is common sense that you cannot determine sources of cyber attacks only through IP addresses, some people in the Pentagon still prefer believing they are from China as they always bear a sense of rivalry," Wang said. "It is an allegation based on presupposition."

He continued, "The groundless accusations reflect the US distrust of China."

In an information era, the international community is increasingly threatened by cyber security problems. Both China and the US are victims of cyber crimes and should work together to tackle the problems, Wang said.

He suggested that the first thing to forge a collaboration is to improve mutual trust rather than making false accusations, otherwise, more hostile actions will be expected in the future.