In this September 25, 2015, photo, President Barack Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping, first lady Michelle Obama and Jinping’s wife Peng Liyuan descend the Grand Staircase as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House in Washington.
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Obama said the agreement was progress – but he added that “I have to insist our work is not yet done”.
But he added warily: “The question now is, are words followed by actions?” and made clear he is prepared to levy sanctions against cyber criminals. While Obama’s aides say no formal cyber security agreement is likely, China’s top Internet regulator suggested in a closed-door session with US executives in Seattle this week that a basic deal against cyber warfare was possible, according to one person present.
“We have jointly affirmed the principle that governments don’t engage in cyber-espionage for commercial gain against companies”.
Still, it is too naive to imagine that China and the United States, which differ sharply in their history, political system and national interests, can agree on anything from now.
US officials have alleged that the Chinese state was behind a massive data security breach of government databases as well as attacks on private firms.
The summit was opened with a 21-gun salute and a state dinner on Friday as this has been Xi’s first state visit to the U.S. It was a time when two global and great powers set aside their differences by finding areas of cooperation regarding issues on climate change and terrorism. “There are a range of tools that are at the president’s disposal to respond to those concerns”. Full details of the agreement were not revealed so as to not pre-empt the announcement, but it is understood that China will commit to a national cap-and-trade program starting in 2017 in which specific industries will have an annual limit on emissions.
The first of the high-level meetings on combating cybercrime will come this year, the White House said.
Thirty-six years ago, during his visit to the United States, Mr. Deng Xiaoping predicted that China-U.S. relations would make major progress under new, historical conditions.
The pledges mean that the world’s two biggest carbon emitters have now aligned their climate diplomacy going into negotiations for a global accord in Paris this December.
But disagreements on other issues still loomed.
Moments earlier, Obama had said he welcomes the rise of a China that is stable, prosperous and peaceful, because that benefits everyone. For his part, Xi, with nationalistic sentiment rising at home, can ill afford the appearance of making concessions.
As the two leaders spoke, dozens of pro- and anti-Xi protesters gathered near the White House grounds, waving flags, beating drums and shouting slogans.
US intelligence officials think China was behind the theft of millions of security-clearance files as well as recent cyberlooting of health insurance and airline records.
On human rights, another sore spot between the nations, Obama said the two had a “frank discussion”.
Xi also told reporters that there was no reason to expect China’s yuan would depreciate against the USA dollar over the long run, saying his country was working to stabilize economic growth.
Obama said Xi told him he cannot “guarantee” the good behavior of all of his citizens, just as Obama can’t promise good behavior from all Americans. “What I can guarantee, though, and what I’m hoping President Xi will show me, is that we are not sponsoring these activities, and that when it comes to our attention that non-governmental entities or individuals are engaging in this stuff, that we take it seriously and we’re cooperating to enforce the law”. Calls for Obama to take a harder line with China have echoed from Congress to the 2016 Republican presidential campaign. He says that if the US and China work together, they have an “unmatched ability” to shape the course of this century.
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The East and West coasts of the USA were heavily represented on the guest list for Friday’s state dinner in honour of Chinese President Xi Jinping with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg joining Blackstone Group LP’s Stephen Schwarzman and director Lee Daniels at the White House.
