US And China Discuss Cybersecurity

Whilst managing international and national security in a globalized world, where anything if misused or abused can turn into a source of potential threat, is already difficult enough, here comes another source: cyber-espionage.

President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping have recently met to discuss issues concerning cybersecurity. Both China and the United States (US) agreed to prevent engagement in economic cyber-espionage. According to the New York Times, the main objective of the talks from the US perspective is to encourage China to abide by the code of conduct in the cyberspace which has been recently adopted by a working group at the United Nations (UN). The Guardian also reports that one of the key principles of the UN document “is that no state should allow cyber activity that cripples another’s critical infrastructure during peacetime”. While the deal covers trade secrets it does not extend to national security information.

In the past, China was accused of carrying out cyber-espionage against US. The most recent accusation involves a data breach concerning US federal government employee records. The breach has exposed more than 20 million officials, including some personnel at senior level. A Guardian article notes that “Reports in the New York Times and Washington Post on Thursday, both citing unnamed sources in the federal government, reported Chinese hackers were behind the breach”. China denies the accusations and ensures that Chinese government condemns any kind of cyber crimes. Mr. Obama stated that the next time commercial cyber-theft is detected, the sanctions will follow either against individuals, businesses or state-owned companies. Indeed, the government might not even be aware that there is someone conducting cybercrime within the state. Cyber-espionage can be carried out anonymously by an individual or a company, nevertheless, its consequences can affect the whole state.

Cybercrime has been a sensitive topic of discussion between US and China for a long time. It is high time the two countries address this issue before it affects other aspects of their bilateral relationships. It is very difficult to manage cybersecurity and track down hackers because of anonymity. This very inability to accurately identify cybercriminals results in one country suspecting another and vice versa. Suspicion leads to a lack of transparency that seriously inhibits progress in diplomatic or economic relationships and usually leads to unnecessary conflicts between the states. Collaboration between the US and China in addressing the issue of commercial cyber-espionage now will certainly secure their economic ties and hopefully spare them from far more serious forms of cyberattacks later. Today cybersecurity is an increasing component of international security, therefore, peace in cyberspace is essential for peace in reality.

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