China is extending an invitation to the United States to participate in counterterrorism, cybersecurity and “Internet security” initiatives, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported late Monday.
The comments were reportedly made by Chinese Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun to FBI Director James Comey during a meeting in Beijing this week. “China … is willing to deepen cooperation with the United States on the basis of laws in the field of cybersecurity and the fight against terrorism,” Shengkun said, adding that China would like to “deepen law enforcement and security cooperation in the fields of Internet security and counterterrorism.”
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Reports did not provide additional context, though “Internet security” and “counterterrorism” are terms often used by Chinese officials to describe the government’s suppression of political dissent. The country’s top judge, Zhou Qiang, said over the weekend that the nation convicted over 1,400 people of crimes related to terrorism or “extremism” in 2015, more than double the previous year.
The U.S. is scheduled to hand over the Internet governance body responsible for domain names on the Web to an international body that includes China later this year. China has consistently said it hopes that governments will play a stronger role in regulating the Internet in the future.
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Though some observers interpreted Shengkun’s emphasis to be on cybersecurity more broadly, recent history would suggest that interpretation is off the mark. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said China is still targeting American companies in hacking schemes geared towards the theft of commercial secrets, in spite of an agreement last year that the practice would end.
