China, US put cybersecurity on forum table
Two-day meeting in Washington will also cover finance, climate change and East China Sea row
China and the US will hold the first meeting of a cybersecurity working group at a high-level forum next week.
The Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Washington will also include talks on finance and climate change, officials said at a government briefing.
"We are ready to work with the United States and engage in dialogue and communication and, on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, enhance understanding and consensus and work with the international community to build a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace," said Zheng Zeguang , an assistant foreign minister.
American and Chinese officials may also discuss former US National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, whose revelations about an NSA spying programme last month overshadowed US claims made earlier this year that China is waging a cyber- espionage campaign. Chinese authorities have demanded an explanation for Snowden's allegation that the US has hacked computers in Hong Kong and mainland China since 2009.
"The information released by the media shows once again that China is among the victims of cyberattacks," Zheng said.
Before Snowden went public, White House national security adviser Tom Donilon warned that cyberattacks from China threatened to derail President Barack Obama's efforts to improve ties with China. China maintains that it is also a victim of hacking.