Cyber security crucial topic during Xi-Obama summit

President Xi Jinping meets with his US counterpart Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague on March 24, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Security challenges existing between China and the US are expected to be an important topic during the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Barack Obama on Thursday. Experts in Washington said it will take a long time to tackle security issues but both countries can work together to minimize the problems. [Special coverage]

Ushering President Xi's visit, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) held a salon on Monday on security challenges between the two biggest economies in the world. Experts said the two countries have many challenges such as cybersecurity, terrorist attacks, the South China Sea and nuclear-related facilities in North Korea. In some areas, both countries could find common interests and prevent any incidents from damaging bilateral relations.

Christopher Johnson, senior adviser and Freeman Chair in China Studies at CSIS, said the relation with the US may be the most important for the Chinese government. It follows that both sides are not risk-takers and will try to avoid incidents that damage bilateral relations despite of current tensions in the security field.

Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia and Japan Chair at CSIS, said President Xi will have a working dinner at the White House on Sept 24, which is useful because a lot of issues can be discussed.

Green also said the US and China are negotiating an agreement not to be the first to use cyberweapons to attack the other's critical infrastructure. No details have been announced concerning this agreement, but experts said cyberattacks should be stopped.

Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for China Studies at CSIS, said the US and China are both victims of hacking. She said the US and China can figure out one or two areas that both can work together. Some hotlines are needed as a way to find out who one side can talk to the other, she added.

Glaser said information sharing is a good thing but is also going to be a tougher task. "But how to address it (cybersecurity problem)? The way to solve it is not obvious to me," she said. "Personally I am not optimistic of whether the summit could reach consensus or agreement on constrain cyberattacks."

President Xi told the US Secretary of State John Kerry that "the broad Pacific Ocean is vast enough to embrace both China and the United States" in May when Kerry visited China. On the maritime side, the US navy tends to avoid conflicts with China and China also doesn't want any direct encounters of aircrafts or other incidents at sea, Green said.