China And US To Stop Cyber Attacks
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The US, though used to leading in the military and intelligence fronts, has found itself in the past year at a disadvantage when it comes to cyber warfare. As a means to minimize cyber threats, the US President, Obama, invited the President of China, Xi Jinping, to a meeting at the end of which the two announced a joint vision – cooperation between both countries in the field of cyber crime.
In the joint announcement, president Obama said that he and his Chinese counterpart have reached a common understanding about the treatment of cyber espionage, and that both agreed the two nations will not support attempted cyber attacks on computerized systems. Obama stated that China needs to prove it is not funding cyber crimes, and demanded it enforces the law against Chinese citizens using the internet to penetrate secret databases of American companies. Otherwise, Obama said, the US will use sanctions and legal means, as well as other methods to “go after” these cyber criminals.
According to the White House, both parties agreed on establishing a “high-level joint dialogue mechanism on fighting cybercrime and related issues”. The question now is whether words will turn into actions, Obama said during the joint press conference, and added that he will follow up on this matter to make sure there is progress.
Only a couple of weeks after the Chinese president visited Washington, it seems the first step of applying these understandings is already being made. The Washington Post revealed that the Chinese government has arrested hackers inside its borders at the request of the US government. The hackers arrested were on the American intelligence services’ wanted lists, passed to the Chinese as part of the Obama administration’s demand to see real actions being taken. These actions were to testify to China’s willingness to ease the tension between both countries after several recent Chinese cyber attacks against American companies and government agencies.
The question whether this is an actual step towards a real change in China’s international conduct or just a gesture to make peace with the US, however, still remains.
