A Chinese national who pleaded guilty to hacking confidential U.S. defense secrets has been handed down a 46-month prison sentence.

In March, Su Bin, 51, admitted to working with hackers from the Chinese military in order to infiltrate U.S. defense companies and obtain top-secret military information from 2009 through 2014.

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Bin was apprehended in Canada in 2014, after which he was extradited to the United States.

Beijing has denied any involvement in operations that include hacking of foreign companies or government.

In addition to the 46-month prison sentence, Bin was also ordered to pay a fine of $10,000.

"Su Bin's sentence is a just punishment for his admitted role in a conspiracy with hackers from the People's Liberation Army Air Force to illegally access and steal sensitive US military information," John Carlin, assistant attorney general for national security, said in a statement to BBC News.

Carlin added that Bin helped the Chinese military in their operation to illegally obtain designs of state-of-the-art military aircrafts that are very important to the U.S. defense.

Bin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to illegally infiltrate a protected computer and to violate the Arms Export Control Act.

He admitted that he collaborated with the Chinese military hackers for money and supplied them with information regarding which people, companies and technologies to target. Mr. Bin also pleaded guilty to translating the stolen information into Chinese. 

The target of the hack was data on transport aircrafts and fighter jets that was then proposed for sale to Chinese firms.

China and the US have both been at loggerheads over cyber attacks suffered by both countries in recent years.

Last year, China arrested a group of hackers after the U.S. government provided them with a list of cybercrime suspects who allegedly stole sensitive research and development information.

Tagschina, US, Chinese Hacker, US defense, US defence, us military, hacker, hacking