Obama said he and Xi made “significant progress” on cyber security.
Advertisement
There were clear limits to Friday’s deal. So one side might actually support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, but if they claim not to know about it, and nobody can prove they do, they’re OK.
The agreement between Messrs Obama and Xi stopped short of a full-fledged détente on cyber attacks. President Xi said confrontation on the issue is not the right choice.
The White House has publicly accused China of encouraging a widespread cyber campaign to steal American corporate secrets.
Any sanctions levied would likely draw on an executive order issued in April that gives USA officials the ability to impose punitive measures “on individuals or entities” connected to online theft. “China and the United States are two major cyber countries and we should strengthen dialogue and cooperation”, he said.
From “Empire” creator Lee Daniels to Disney CEO Bob Iger, from diplo-eminence Henry Kissinger to uber-philanthropist David Rubenstein, the attendees represented the Obamas’ effort to bring together an A-team of luminaries for Xi at the culminating event of Friday’s daylong state visit.
The guest list is out for President Obama’s state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) and it’s a high-powered mashup of Hollywood, diplomacy and big business. He called the agreement “progress”, but said “our work is not yet done”. Here are some milestones in China’s long, convoluted relationship with the world body: 1945 – The Republic of China, led by Chiang Kai-shek, becomes the first nation to sign the U.N. charter.
The agreement likely staves off the immediate prospect of the U.S. government hitting Chinese companies with economic sanctions related to cyber attacks.
Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi on Friday reaffirmed their commitment to the investment treaty as a “top economic priority”, the White House said in a statement. Authorities are confident that the two men in custody, identified as Adem Karadag and Mieraili Yusufu, are responsible for the bombing at the Erawan Shrine on August 17 that killed 20 people and injured more than 120, said National Police Chief Somyot Poomphanmuang.
US and Chinese officials sought to cast their talks in a favourable light by showcasing at least one area of cooperation – the global fight against climate change.
There has also been China’s military buildup, which it helpfully demonstrated during President Obama’s trip to Alaska last month when a fleet of five Chinese ships made a trip to show off their offensive capacities inside Alaska’s waters. Under such cap-and-trade systems, industries are granted allowances for the emissions they have historically produced.
For instance, she said, if the United States provided evidence to the Chinese of cyber espionage and Beijing failed to act, then Washington should not hesitate to apply sanctions.
American business groups have called on the White House to strike a more aggressive posture with China’s government about the rise in computer theft, and they are expected to watch the new agreement carefully.
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. Obama has declined to publicly assign blame to China for that breach.
At the same time, the Obama administration is still at a loss about how to curb China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, where Beijing has continued to reclaim land for potential military use despite conflicting claims with its neighbours.
President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping leave after… “Relevant construction activities that China are undertaking in the island of South – Nansha Islands do not target or impact any country, and China does not intend to pursue militarization”, Xi said. USA live news networks have hung on his every word and step.
Independent Senator Angus King of Maine says he asked the White House to use the state’s signature crustacean at the Friday dinner.
Advertisement
On the Senate side, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Feinstein, Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) all met with Xi.
