President Obama said his message to China on cyberespionage during his meeting with President Xi Jinping was clear: “It has to stop.”
Obama made the statement after meeting with Xi on Friday at the White House. China has been blamed for a wave of computer-based cyberattacks on U.S. businesses and even government agencies in recent months.
“I raised once again our very serious concerns about our growing cyberthreats to American companies and American citizens,” Obama said. “I indicated that it has to stop.”
“The U.S. government does not engage in cyber-economic espionage for commercial gain, and today I can announce that our two countries have announced a mutual understanding on the way forward,” he added.
Obama said the two countries agreed not to support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business for commercial advantage. In addition, the two countries agreed to develop a “code of conduct” for how countries should act in cyberspace.
But Obama said this is not the end of the discussions, and more will have to be worked out in the future.
