The US justice department on Thursday charged two Chinese nationals with conducting a global hacking campaign, in a co-ordinated move with US allies designed to send a stark warning to China to stop stealing technology around the world.

Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney-general, and Christopher Wray, the FBI director who earlier this year warned Congress about the growing threat from Chinese espionage, unveiled the action which is part of a new justice department “China initiative” aimed at tackling rising Chinese cyber espionage. The threat is increasingly raising alarm bells from the US, UK and Canada to Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

In the UK, the British government said Chinese state sponsored hackers had been running one of the most “significant and widespread cyber intrusions” against the UK and its allies, targeting trade secrets and economies around the world.