The United States is set to press charges Monday against five Chinese military members for allegedly spying on American businesses to steal company secrets. 

According to a U.S. government official, the five individuals will be slammed with espionage charges of cyberspying. It will be the first time the U.S. Department of Justice is accusing China of such spying, Reuters reports. 

U.S. officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, held a press conference at 10:00 a.m. EDT to announce "a criminal indictment in a national security case."

The names of the Chinese individuals have not been released, nor have the names been released of the U.S. companies that were allegedly spied on. More details in the case are expected to be made public Monday. 

The American companies that were targeted by the Chinese military involve companies in the manufacturing and energy industries. According to the Wall Street Journal, the five people who will be charged are allegedly tied to the People's Liberation Army. 

The United States has suspected cyberspying from China for years. A U.S. State Department cable found a 2009 cyber attack to be linked to a unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. The State Department's cables that were obtained by WikiLeaks traced attacks on the system to China. 

The charges would prevent the individuals involved from traveling to the U.S. or other countries under an extradition agreement. 

"It sends a strong message to the Chinese," said James Lewis, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International studies. 

However, other experts are not as certain that the symbolic move will prevent future cybersecurity breaches. 

"It won't slow China down," said Eric Johnson, an information technology expert at Vanderbilt University.

More cyber-security cases will be brought to the forefront in coming weeks, including more indictments and arrests. 

China also called for Beijing Sunday to secure its own cybersecurity from foreign "hostile forces."