China, US, making progress in cybersecurity talks, says American government official
US allegations that Chinese hackers have attacked American targets source of tension between the two nations
The United States is pleased to see progress has been made with China on information sharing about cyber threats, a senior US official said on Tuesday during the latest round of cybersecurity talks between the two countries.
Cybersecurity has long been an irritant in relations between China and the United States, the world’s two largest economies.
The two counties signed an anti-hacking accord in September last year, brokered during President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, including a pledge that neither country would knowingly carry out hacking for commercial advantage.
The agreement marked an ongoing effort to repair relations after China withdrew from a working group in 2014 in response to the US indictment of five members of its military on charges of hacking six American companies.
US Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Suzanne Spaulding said the focus of the talks in Beijing was to make sure both sides fulfilled commitments made by the two presidents.
“We look forward to discussing the commitments we made with regards to not engaging in IP theft of trade secrets and confidential business information,” she told reporters.