China, US reach important consensus on cyber security

President Xi Jinping's special envoy Meng Jianzhu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee meets with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in Washington D.C., capital of the United States, Sept. 11, 2015. China and the United States have reached important consensus on combating cyber crimes. [Photo/Xinhua]

WASHINGTON - China and the United States have reached important consensus on combating cyber crimes.

The consensus was reached during a visit by President Xi Jinping's special envoy Meng Jianzhu, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee.

During the visit from Wednesday to Saturday, Meng exchanged in-depth views on tackling outstanding issues of law enforcement and security, including cyber crimes, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

Meng, who led a delegation composed of officials from the ministries of public security, state security, justice and information technology, said China and the United States are both countries with highly-developed Internet technology. Against the backdrop of frequent incidents and ever-increasing security threats in cyberspace, it is especially important for the two to enhance mutual trust and cooperation in the sphere of cyber security.

Stressing China's firm stand against cyber attacks and commercial cyber espionage, Meng said anyone who conducts such acts in the Chinese territory violates the laws of China and will be subject to legal liability.

China-U.S. dialogue and cooperation on combating cybercrime serve the common interest of both countries and the international community, he added.