US and China Reach Cyber-Espionage ‘Common Understanding’

The US and China may emerge from Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit with some progress made on cyber concerns.

“We did have candid discussions on the East and South China Seas, and I reiterated the right of all countries to freedom of navigation and overflight and to unimpeded commerce”, Obama said.

He spoke with Xi at his side during a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden. “It appears that the U.S. will have to prove there’s been a cyber incursion, attribute its source, identify what was exfiltrated and then prove that there was a benefit conferred and that the information was put to use”, said Michael Wessel, a member of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a congressionally mandated body that monitors the economic and security relationship between the two countries.

Xi said “China strongly opposes and combats the theft of commercial secrets and other kinds of hacking attacks”, which could be taken in two ways. “But it’s much more important that China and the USA come to some agreements regarding government-sponsored intrusion, surveillance, and theft that can lead to serious destabilization”. The Chinese “are now obligated to respond to evidence [of cyber attacks] presented by the United States, and they can’t just shrug it off like they have in the past”, he said.

BEIJING (AP) – As state media reports have it, China’s President Xi Jinping is dispelling all concerns about cyberhacking, the economy and the South China Sea during his US trip, and relations between the two countries have never been rosier. “I indicated that it has to stop”, Obama said in recounting his meeting with Xi, clearly implying that China has been increasingly threatening US companies. For Obama, the deal with China strengthens his hand ahead of a global summit on climate change in Paris in December.

Officials in Tacoma said the security preparations had been gruelling.

The White House, however, scaled back expectations about such an agreement being imminent during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

A week before the summit, a Chinese jet almost collided with a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance jet over the Yellow Sea, in the second close call by an intercept jet since the August 2014 encounter between USA and Chinese jets. “This announcement shows that the highest levels of government from both nations understand that cybersecurity tensions should not be a barrier to free trade and open systems of innovation”, Dean Garfield, the CEO of the Information Technology Industry Council, said in a statement.

Also, a testament to the increasing agreement of the two countries in tackling at least certain global issues was visible in the factsheet of the talks that started off by pledging to continue cooperation in economic development and reconciliation process in Afghanistan.

On other issues, a White House fact sheet said the two leaders discussed cooperation on Afghanistan, worldwide peacekeeping, nuclear security, wildlife trafficking, and ocean conservation. One might argue that this means little given the low bar, but I think we can be more generous than that. Following on the heels of the British ambassador to China’s embarrassing refusal to issue the world-renowned-but politically sensitive-Chinese artist Ai Weiwei a six-month visa and to instead grant him only a restricted three-week visa (a decision later reversed by London), the United Kingdom seems to be charting a new foreign policy course.

Opening Xi’s state visit to Washington, Obama says nations are more successful when their companies compete on an even playing field and human rights are respected.

Friday marked the 10th state visit during of President Barack Obama’s presidency.

In a reminder of potential flashpoints, the United States and China also finalised a plan aimed at reducing the risk of aerial collisions between warplanes in areas such as the South China Sea through adoption of common rules of behaviour.

The Pentagon said on Tuesday that a Chinese jet performed an “unsafe” maneuver in front of a USA reconnaissance plane last week approximately 80 miles east of the Shandong peninsula. We have the right to uphold our territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests.