Chuck Schumer, the senior Democratic senator from New York, has been one of the leading critics of China's economic policies on Capitol Hill - and on Thursday he pounced on the recent Justice Department allegations against China for hacking US companies and unions.

美国纽约州民主党资深参议员查尔斯•舒默(Charles Schumer)一直是美国国会中批评中国经济政策的干将之一。周四，他又借美国司法部(Justice Department)指控中国非法窃取美国企业和工会商业机密一事，严厉批评了中国。

In a letter to Mike Froman, US trade representative, Mr Schumer called on the Obama administration to launch a case against China at the World Trade Organisation on the matter, writes James Politi in Washington.

在写给美国贸易代表迈克•弗罗曼(Mike Froman)的信中，舒默呼吁奥巴马(Obama)政府就此事在世界贸易组织(WTO)起诉中国。

Mr Schumer said:

舒默表示：“来自中国和其他国家的网络攻击，可能会在未来几年严重损害美国企业的利益，因此我们需要作出强硬回应。”

Cyber-attacks from China and other nations could prove crippling to American businesses in the years to come, so we need real teeth in our response.

舒默表示，美国应指控中国违反了WTO的《与贸易有关的知识产权协定》(Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights)，该协议要求各国保护贸易机密。

The New York senator, a member of the Democratic leadership in the upper chamber, said the suit should take on China for violating the "Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (Trips)" agreement within the WTO that requires countries to protect trade secrets.

长期以来，舒默一直抨击中国的汇率政策，并因此与小布什(George W. Bush)和奥巴马(Obama)政府争战，因为他认为这两届政府都没有采取更强硬措施，惩罚中国没能允许人民币更快升值。

Mr Schumer has long attacked China for its currency policy and locked horns with both the George W. Bush and Obama administrations for not supporting tougher measures to punish Beijing for not allowing the renminbi to appreciate faster.

尽管舒默大肆批评中国，多少在外界预料之中，但这表明美国司法部的指控可能会加剧美中贸易紧张关系。

But if his pot shot at China is in some ways predictable, it also shows how the DoJ's indictment risks further inflaming US-China trade tensions.