Director of National Intelligence James Clapper is the highest-ranking US official to publicly implicate Beijing since news of the data breach emerged.
China always dismissed suggestions that it was behind the hacking.
The statement comes after three days of high-level talks in which China and the US agreed to a “code of conduct”.
At a conference in Washington DC, James Clapper said: “China remains the leading suspects.”
“The US government continues to investigate” he added, according to his office.
At the Washington talks where cyber security was a top priority, Secretary of State John Kerry said there was a need to work with China to develop a “code of conduct” on state behavior in cyberspace – Chinese representatives had agreed with these conclusions.
“It’s something that we agreed needs to be addressed and hopefully it can be addressed soon,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said on June 25.
China has said any suggestion that it was behind the hacking is “irresponsible and unscientific”.
Sydney has welcomed 2025 with a spectacular fireworks display - cheers erupted as the clock struck midnight…
Following an eight-year legal battle, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement,…
Former President Jimmy Carter died on December 29 at the age of 100 after spending several…
Georgia’s outgoing president Salome Zourabichvili refused to step down on December 29, saying she was…
The bald eagle has been officially declared the national bird of the United States, after…
Dozens of passengers have survived a crash involving a plane carrying 69 people in Kazakhstan,…
