The Pentagon is distancing itself from the US Justice Department’s charging of five Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) officers with 31 criminal counts of hacking and cyber espionage against six US companies.

The indictments, handed down on  May 19, comes, as the Defense Department is seen working to increase its military-to-military interactions with the Chinese. Despite the charges levied by a grand jury in the Western District of Pennsylvania, senior Pentagon officials said high-level visits, military exchanges and participation in upcoming exercises will go on as planned.