US-China Talks on Cyber Threat

US-China Talks on Cyber Threat

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Cybersecurity negotiations were a key part of U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice’s recent trip to Beijing in an effort to strengthen U.S.-China relations ahead of this year’s G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Among various issues discussed, Rice’s meetings underscored the importance of abiding the cyber commitments reached by US and China presidents last September.

According to Fedscoop, the negotiations centered on an influential digital security agreement made the two leaders, designed to curb nation-state sponsored economic espionage, which has wreaked havoc in the private sector.

A cyber threat intelligence report revealed last month by California-based security firm FireEye shows that cyber attacks targeting the U.S. that originate from China have decreased since the Obama-Xi deal was made public in September 2015. Several U.S. officials confirmed the report’s findings.

Regarding future cybersecurity cooperation between the two states, the larger message that Rice hoped to leave her Chinese counterparts was one of cautious optimism, said Adam Segal, director of digital and cyberspace policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Segal said Rice likely sought to establish the promise of future cyber coordination during discussions while making it clear that the U.S. will expect China to abide by existing agreements under a new U.S. administration.

Security officials for the U.S. and China have met multiple times in the last year to discuss cybersecurity cooperation efforts. A working group comprised by the Department of Homeland Security and China’s Minister of Public Security, for example, have now met twice.