U.S.-China Cyber Agreement (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Oct. 16, 2015 |
| Report Number |
IN10376 |
| Report Type |
Insight |
| Authors |
Rollins, John |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
During the state visit on September 24-25, 2015, President Xi Jinping of China and President Barack Obama reached a Cyber Agreement. Soon after, the White House released details contained in the agreement. In principle, the United States and China agreed, among other things, to [1] provide timely responses to requests for information and assistance concerning malicious cyber activities, [2] refrain from conducting or knowingly supporting cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, [3] pursue efforts to further identify and promote appropriate norms of state behavior in cyberspace within the international community, and [4] establish a high-level joint dialogue mechanism on fighting cybercrime and related issues. [â¦] Accusations of China's pursuit of cyber-capabilities directed at U.S. security interests have persisted for decades. Reportedly, many U.S. investigations of Chinese government and suspected quasi-affiliated entities have focused on unauthorized access to both U.S. government and private-sector databases for purposes of economic espionage. On May 19, 2014, the U.S. Department of Justice indicted five Chinese military hackers for computer hacking and economic espionage directed at six American entities in the U.S. nuclear power, metals, and solar products industries. In discussing the details related to this indictment, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder stated, 'This is a case alleging economic espionage by members of the Chinese military and represents the first ever charges against a state actor for this type of hacking.'
