appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

US and Chinese diplomats have launched talks on maritime disputes and cyber hacking as Washington pledged to pull no punches in seeking to resolve simmering problems between the two world powers.
About 400 Chinese officials have converged on Washington for the annual talks now in their seventh year being hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, US officials said.
“The United States is firmly committed to improving its relationship with China,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
“While our countries disagree on many points, we recognise that there are many areas for mutually beneficial cooperation,” he told reporters.
There was “no problem that can’t be better addressed with US-China cooperative efforts”, he said.
The two-day Strategic and Economic Dialogue kicks off properly on Tuesday with Kerry and State Councilor Yang Jiechi.
But Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken led initial closed-door talks on tough security issues on Monday with China’s Executive Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui.
A senior State Department official said the security talks were the highest level exchanges between military and civilian leaders from both nations.
Blinken hosted a welcome dinner on Sunday night, ahead of Monday’s three working groups on maritime and cyber issues as well as military-to-military relations.
There is also a group on nuclear and space cooperation, and a separate international affairs panel discussing everything from Iran to North Korea and Afghanistan.
The world’s two leading economies remain at odds over China’s claims to much of the South China Sea and Washington has repeatedly urged Beijing to stop building artificial islands in the key waterway.
Ties have also strained over US accusations of cyber espionage.
A cyber working group with members from both countries was suspended by Beijing last year after Washington indicted five Chinese military officers for hacking into US computers to pilfer intellectual property and US government secrets.
This week’s talks also come hot on the heels of the revelations of devastating breaches of US government computer networks.
The US administration has not openly accused Beijing of being behind the hacking of as many as 14 million employee records of the Office of Personnel Management, but the massive data breach is under investigation by the FBI.
Another State Department official acknowledged that not having a forum in which to discuss cyber issues didn’t make it any easier to resolve any disputes.
But both countries recognise the need for cooperation in the evolving and growing cyber world.
“While we don’t necessarily always agree on the approach to cyber security and cyber defence, it is certainly one of those areas where there is room for better cooperation and better dialogue and more transparency,” Kirby said.
 
 


US, China open high-level talks on maritime disputes, computer hacking

US Secretary of State John Kerry and State Councillor Yang Jiechi pictured during a previous meeting last year in Boston. Photo: AP

China, US need tackle market access issues before presidential election gets in the way: analysts

Both China and the US hope the Strategic and Economic Dialogue can "set the table" for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington in September. Photo: Reuters

Both China and the US hope the Strategic and Economic Dialogue can "set the table" for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington in September. Photo: AP

Both China and the US hope the Strategic and Economic Dialogue can "set the table" for Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Washington in September. Photo: AFP

US tells top Chinese general that Beijing should halt island building in the South China Sea

General Fan Changlong pictured with Ash Carter during his visit to Washington.Relations between the US and China are strained amid disputes over the South China Sea and alleged cyber attacks by Chinese hackers. Photo: Reuters