DHAKA: A Chinese businessman has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison in the US for hacking sensitive military information.

Su Bin admitted collaborating with hackers in the Chinese military to steal data from US defense companies between 2008 and 2014.

He was arrested in Canada in 2014 and extradited to the US, BBC reports on Thursday (July 14).

The Chinese government has repeatedly denied any involvement in hacking foreign companies or governments.

In addition to the 46-month prison sentence, the Los Angeles court also ordered Su to pay a $10,000 fine.

‘Su Bin's sentence is a just punishment for his admitted role in a conspiracy with hackers from the People's Liberation Army Air Force to illegally access and steal sensitive US military information,’ assistant attorney general John Carlin said in a statement.

‘Su assisted the Chinese military hackers in their efforts to illegally access and steal designs for cutting-edge military aircraft that are indispensable to our national defense,’ he explained.

BDST: 1255 HRS, JUL 14, 2016
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