“The question now is, are words followed by action?”
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There were clear limits to Friday’s deal.
Today, President Obama, appearing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, announced that the United States and China had reached an agreement to curb “cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property” between the two countries.
Kennedy said it was a positive step that China and the USA 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. USA intelligence officials believe China was behind the theft of millions of security-clearance files as well as recent cyberlooting of health insurance and airline records.
“Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides”, said Mr Xi, speaking through a translator.
As for the joint fight against cyber crimes, Xi said China and the United States have reached important consensus, stressing bilateral dialogue and cooperation on cyber issues.
The pair kicked off Mr Xi’s first state visit by shedding their ties and strolling out of the West Wing and across Pennsylvania Avenue to Blair House.
The agreement has been in the works for several weeks, the official said.
Overall, Mr. Obama said, the two leaders’ visit had yielded “an extremely productive meeting“, adding that their candid conversations on areas of disagreement “help us to understand each other better”.
However, Xi denied the Chinese state was behind cybertheft of U.S. corporate secrets and advised against politicising the issue.
He will be attending a state dinner in his honor at the White House on Friday evening. The two men struck a serious, businesslike tone when they appeared later before reporters, showing little sign of close personal rapport.
The agreement may not be easy to enforce, particularly since it’s often hard to trace the source of cyberattacks and the Chinese government has never acknowledged a role in past attacks, said Betsy Page Sigman, a cybersecurity expert at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Xi made the remarks at a joint press conference with Obama after their talks in the White House.
As part of their agreement, Xi announced that China, the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, will launch a national carbon cap-and-trade system in 2017 to help contain the country’s emissions, which will build on seven regional pilot markets already operation in China. Under such cap-and-trade systems, industries are granted allowances for the emissions they have historically produced.
He said that confidence marked a fundamental shift from China’s approach at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen six years ago, when China insisted that developed countries – with a historical responsibility for causing global warming – should move first.
On other issues, the leaders either politely disagreed or made only vague commitments.
USA officials suspect China-based hackers are responsible, though the Obama administration did not publicly blame Beijing for the theft.
Also, the rising tension between Asian nations because of Beijing’s construction of military installations on man-made islands as well as disputed reefs in the South China Sea was discussed to find a resolution.
Guests were treated to the musical talents of R&B singer Ne-Yo, before the President of the United States gave a short speech finishing with a toast to the people of China. We pray the hopes come true but after the Obama-Xi summit on Friday it seems that prayers must continue.
“We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests.
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It’s a big change in what the Chinese have been willing to do before”, Lewis said, adding that the line he heard from the Obama administration was that sanctions are still on the table. The U.S.is the world’s second largest market for ivory. On Friday, however, the menu appeared largely American, including poached Maine lobster and Colorado lamb.
