Obama, Xi agree to resolve disputes over cyber security

PanARMENIAN.Net - President Barack Obama and China's President Xi Jinping agreed on Friday, June 7 to work together to try to resolve disputes over cyber security, a major irritant between the world's top two economic powers, Reuters reported.

Hosting Xi at a two-day summit in a luxurious desert estate in southern California, Obama said the United States welcomes China's "peaceful rise" but made clear that Beijing must play by the same rules of economic world order as other major nations.

The United States says Chinese hackers have accessed American military secrets, an accusation China denies, and the White House itself faces questions at home over its own surveillance of emails and phone records.

Obama did not shy away from the issue of cyber spying in the first day of closed-door meetings, but he took a cautious line at a news conference, stopping short of pointing the finger directly at China or threatening any consequences.

With Xi making his first U.S. visit since taking over the presidency in March, both sides appeared intent on giving the impression of a constructive tone at a summit billed as a get-to-know-you encounter at the sprawling Sunnylands compound near Palm Springs.

But honing in on the top U.S. concerns, Obama said Washington wants "an international economic order where nations are playing by the same rules, where trade is free and fair and where the United States and China work together to address issues like cyber security and protection of intellectual property".

Xi agreed on the need to resolve the cyber-security issue in a "pragmatic way" but was also quick to deflect blame, saying China was also a victim of cyber attacks.

Ties between Beijing and Washington have been buffeted in the last few months by strains over trade disputes, North Korea, human rights and each country's military intentions.