US agencies have warned China is attempting to steal vital coronavirus research by hacking US groups studying the disease, in the latest escalation of tensions between Washington and Beijing over the pandemic. 

In a warning on Wednesday, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (Cisa) said they were investigating the “targeting and compromise” of US research groups by the People’s Republic of China and its affiliates, and warned the illicit campaign could jeopardise the delivery of treatments. 

“These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing,” the public warning said, although it did not name the organisations targeted or say whether any attacks had been successful.