The deal covers the theft of trade secrets but not national security information.
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Those accommodations were key to the Obama administration’s agenda: incrementally improving relations with China and keeping up collaboration on shared projects.
“It has to stop”, he said.
“Ecological destruction could place the human species in danger of extinction”, he said, warning that action, not just talk, is needed.
He reiterated this warning during the joint briefing, noting that the USA would apply sanctions “and whatever other tools we have in our toolkit” to stop cybercriminals “either retrospectively or prospectively”. China is the world’s biggest cyber country in terms of the number of Web users.
At Friday’s joint news conference, President Xi defended Beijing’s claim to the area and said its construction work on artificial islands there doesn’t target any country and stressed that it “doesn’t intend to pursue militarization”.
“Cooperation will benefit both, and confrontation will lead to losses on both sides”, Xi said.
Obama expressed “very serious concerns” about Chinese cyber-attacks on US corporations and citizens, and demanded Xi ensure a halt to such activities. That kind of breach is not covered by this deal.
“Even as we recognize Tibet as part of the People’s Republic of China, we continue to encourage Chinese authorities to preserve the religious and cultural identity of the Tibetan people and to engage the Dalai Lama or his representatives”, Obama said.
Food served at state dinners typically incorporates elements of both US cuisine and the host country’s own fare. Former secretaries of state Madeleine Albright and Henry Kissinger were also present.
The tables were decorated with red cloth napkins and yellow roses.
The Chinese government is accelerating investment in environmental protection, with the total investment into the protection of water, air and soil soon totaling $1.37 trillion.
“But we certainly think that the deterioration of the rights situation in China under Xi merits special attention”. Most people stood up – but not everybody. Cap-and-trade schemes in Europe and a handful of USA states have struggled to have a significant effect on emissions, mainly because of lousy execution.
“We did have candid discussions on the East and South China Seas, and I reiterated the right of all countries to freedom of navigation and overflight and to unimpeded commerce”, Obama said.
According to USA Today, during the meeting between Obama and Xi, an agreement was also made to reach a “common vision” regarding climate change during a conference held in December in Paris.
Kennedy said it was a positive step that China and the U.S. will have a formal, high-level working group on the topic, but said he fears that the hacking may only go quiet for some time before it ramps up again.
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And he criticised China’s human rights record, saying that preventing lawyers, journalists and others from operating freely is an obstacle to China living up to its potential.
