"So it's not uncommon for me to observe that I don't have a lot to say about the decision-making process that goes into applying economic sanctions," Earnest said, adding that he would not want to speculate on any "potential actions" or any potential deliberations.

He said adding U.S. President Barack Obama had been consistently raising this issue with the Chinese leadership including his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and has described this as an issue of significant concern.

"So the point is that it is no secret to leaders in China that President Obama and other leaders in the U.S. government have significant concerns with Chinese behavior in cyberspace. We've made that clear in high-level conversations with Chinese officials," Earnest said.

"I think it was pretty crystal clear in the Department of Justice announcement of the indictment of five Chinese military officials for their actions in cyberspace. So our concerns in this area are not a surprise to anyone, and certainly are not a surprise to anyone in the Chinese government," he added.

The U.S. has sharp disagreements with China over its actions in cyber space, said State Department Spokesman Mark Toner.

"We have been pretty clear and consistent about addressing these disagreements with the Chinese," he said.