A leaked US government cable shows sources told American diplomats that hacking attacks against Google were ordered by China's top ruling body.

The cable said that according to a source, the Chinese government coordinated the attacks on Google late last year. The cable says the intrusions were directed by the Politburo Standing Committee.

The cable was released by WikiLeaks to The New York Times and The Guardian newspapers.

A separate cable released by WikiLeaks showed a Politburo member demanded action against Google after looking for his own name on the search engine and finding criticism of him.

The cable did not identify the leader. The New York Times reported it was propaganda chief Li Changchun, the fifth-ranked official in the country.