China-US cyber security ministerial dialogue yields positive outcomes

US Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson greet State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun of China prior to a meeting on cybercrime and related issues at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., December 1, 2015. [Photo/IC]

WASHINGTON - The first China-US ministerial dialogue on fighting cyber crimes held here Tuesday yielded positive outcomes as the two sides worked hard to remove one of the major stumbling blocks to the development of the bilateral ties.

The dialogue was co-chaired by China's State Councilor and Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun with US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson.

This meeting, convened under the agreement by Chinese President Xi Jinping with his US counterpart Barack Obama during Xi's first state visit to the US in late September, was also aimed at implementing the five-point consensus reached by the two sides during the US visit in early September by Meng Jianzhu, secretary of the Committee of Political and Legal Affairs (CPLA), CPC Central Committee.

At the dialogue held at the US Justice Department, the two sides reached an agreement on the guidelines on joint China-US fight against cyber crimes and related matters, and the establishment of a hot line.

Officials from the CPLA and Chinese ministries of justice, public security, state security, foreign affairs, and industry and information technology attended the dialogue.

They identified a number of cases for future cooperation on enhancing cyber security, reached further consensus on fighting cyber terrorism, and agreed on some specific programs of strengthening capability building in fighting cyber crimes.

Among the cases discussed included the one related to the alleged theft of data of the US Office of Personnel Management by Chinese hackers. Through investigation, the case turned out to be a criminal case rather than a state-sponsored cyber attack as the US side has previously suspected.

In his remarks to the meeting, Guo noted that China and the US have shared interests in protecting cyber security, and they can absolutely turn the differences into bright spots for bilateral cooperation.

He urged the two sides to seize on the opportunity to implement the consensus and guidelines reached by the two presidents during their September summit and the meeting in Paris this week while attending the UN Climate Change Conference.