A Chinese defense academy president has highlighted the importance of preparing the country's military for potential cyber wars, saying that cyber wars may be more devastating than nuclear strikes.

Major General Wu Jiangxing, president of People's Liberation Army Information Engineering University (PLAIEU) said cyber attacks put a country into deep turmoil since modern society relies heavily on exchanging information online.

"Cyber wars can cripple a country, and even disrupt the world, because they are not restricted to a certain region. They have a larger impact than a nuclear bomb," said Wu, who is also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Edward Snowden's revelations about the NSA's wiretapping activities, which have even targeted U.S. allies, have alerted China to its vulnerability in the case of a possible cyber war. The disclosures have increased public concerns about security vulnerabilities in computers and mobile devices, threatening the privacy of ordinary citizens.

"Most of the communication devices we use today are developed by Western countries. It would not be technically difficult for them to plant code into such devices to allow them to be wiretapped," he said.

The German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was reportedly also an NSA target, said on TV that she had two mobile phones, one encrypted and the other for personal use.

Using encryption is an effective measure to prevent information leakage, Wu said, although it is not completely reliable, especially because the encryption technology often comes from the U.S.

The scandal also reflected the U.S. supremacy in cyber capabilities. It has reached a level even its allies find difficult to attain, according to Wu, who added that cyberspace also calls for norms, regulations and restrictions to constrain the technological behaviors of superpowers to ensure weaker countries get equal rights.

The major general said the Chinese military is still weak in cyber defense, which puts it in danger, as other countries, such as the U.S. and South Korea, are stepping up efforts to establish their cyber command.

Cyberspace has become a most important battle ground in intelligence gathering. Countries are trying to collect information about each other's government, military, major corporations and even individuals.

"The Snowden case reveals the U.S. has a systematic plan for developing its cyber warfare capabilities. We cannot counter it with scattered and disorganized measures," Wu warned.

China is lagging behind Western powers in military information technology, especially in the field of hardware, which, to a large extent, is imported from Western countries. This has objectively created an information asymmetry between China and the West – like a one-directional mirror through which the West can see China but not the other way round.

"Such single-sided transparency is already a grim reality for China's information industry," Wu said, warning that failure to improve this would make China unable to fend off a possible cyber attack.

A cyber attack first impairs the opponent's communication infrastructure, among other information systems. The shockwave will instantly spread to the non-virtual world, disrupting financial, transport and energy systems, allowing the attacker to win the battle in an indirect manner.

The major general added that a cyber attack could cause precision-guided weapons and coordinated ordinance systems to malfunction.

"The eavesdropping scandals are just the tip of the iceberg in modern cyber warfare. On a larger scale, countries are in fierce competition in cyberspace," said Wu.

According to Wu, the PLA has yet to be given responsibility for guarding China's cyberspace. The absence of a formal garrison is the reason why China's cyberspace is filled with junk information and trails left by foreign hackers.

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