US may refuse Chinese nationals entry to attend Def Con Conference

In relation to the recent indictment of five Chinese hackers on cyber espionage charges, the US is further attempting to send a strong message to China by imposing visa restrictions on nationals wishing to enter the US for the Def Con Conference in Nevada.

According to [url= ]Reuters[/url], a senior administration official said that Washington could use such visa restrictions and other measures to keep Chinese from attending the August Def Con and Black Hat events to maintain pressure on China after the United States this week charged five Chinese military officers with hacking into U.S. companies to steal trade secrets.

China has denied the charges, saying they were "made up."



Organizers of the two conferences said they knew nothing about any efforts under consideration by Washington, but that they believed limiting participation from China was a bad idea.

Jeff Moss, founder of both Def Con and Black Hat, could not be reached, although he posted his thoughts on Twitter: "First I have heard of it, boarding flight to D.C. now. I don't think it helps build positive community."

The Def Con21 Conference takes place August 1st through the 4th at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.