Cyber security: China reaches important consensus with US

A day after US President Barack Obama warned that cyber attacks from China were “not acceptable”, China on Sunday said it has reached “important consensus” with the US on combating cyber crimes.

The consensus was reached during a visit by President Xi Jinping’s special envoy Meng Jianzhu, a Politburo member of the ruling-Communist Party of China, to Washington, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

Meng visit took place ahead of Chinese President Xi’s first state visit to the US later this month, dates for which are yet to be announced. During the visit from Wednesday to Saturday, Meng exchanged in-depth views on tackling outstanding issues of law enforcement and security, including cyber crimes, with US Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and US National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

Meng, who led a delegation composed of officials from the ministries of public security, state security, justice and information technology, said that against the backdrop of frequent incidents in cyberspace, it is especially important for the two countries to enhance mutual trust and cooperation.

Stressing China’s firm stand against cyber attacks and commercial cyber espionage, Meng said anyone who conducts such acts in the Chinese territory violates the laws of China and will be subject to legal liability.

China-US dialogue and cooperation on combating <g data-gr-id="17">cybercrime</g> serve the common interest of both countries and the international community, he said. His comments came as reports from Washington quoted Obama as saying during the weekend that cyber attacks from China were “not acceptable”, a message which he was expected to deliver to Xi during the Chinese Prez visit.