Cyber security to dominate talks with China: US

Cyber security is set to become a standing issue in the US-China relations, adding that the US will push for a open and candid dialogue on this issue, a senior US official has said.
"We expect this to become a standing issue in the US-China relationship given the importance of cyber security to the global economy," said a senior administration official ahead of the meeting between US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, later this week.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official asserted that the US believes that all nations need to abide by international norms and affirm clear rules of the road as it relates to cyber security.

"That, frankly, means dealing with actions emanating from within your territory, so that if there are cyber threats emerging from within another a country that pose a risk to US businesses, we're going to raise that," he said.
"So we're going to do that with China, just as we would insist that every country meet their responsibilities," the official added.
He said that during the meeting the US will send message that that there is an expectation that all of them are working together to protect the infrastructure of the global economy against cyber intrusions and that countries need to meet their responsibilities.

"That will be a focal point not just of these discussions but, importantly, of this working group going forward," he said.

"The fact of the matter is governments are responsible for cyber-attacks that take place from within their borders.
So there is a responsibility for governments to uphold international rules of the road as it relates to the protection of digital infrastructure," the official said.
According to the senior official, as part of its effort to protect US businesses, the American leadership will raise with the Chinese counterparts its concerns about intrusions that it believes emanate from China.
"We will make clear that frankly, it's not in anybody's interest for there to be a situation in which businesses don't have the confidence that they have certain protections in place such that their intellectual property can be compromised and sensitive data can be compromised," he said.

Another senior administration official acknowledged that cyber security threatens to damage the US-China relationship.
"One of the issues that threatens to damage US-China relations, as well as potentially damage the international economy and China's reputation, is the use of cyber technology, particularly as a means of obtaining intellectual property from American companies and institutions," he said.
"If there is untoward involvement of government officials in any nation, that's something that needs to be dealt with directly by the government concerned," the official added.