China has offered to talk to the United States about cyber security in the wake of a war of words between the two governments over hacking.
Reuters reports the Chinese government is willing to discuss the issue, though it remains suspicious about US involvement in hacking.
A report by a US security firm recently accused the Chinese government of collusion in hacking attacks on western companies and security agencies, to which China responded by claiming Chinese military websites were targeted by around 144,000 hacking attacks each month in 2012, with the US responsible for around two-thirds of them.
US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon on Monday said China should acknowledge the extent of the problem and enter into talks to end the practice, with China now accepting this offer.
“China is willing, on the basis of the principles of mutual respect and mutual trust, to have constructive dialogue and cooperation on this issue with the international community including the United States to maintain the security, openness and peace of the Internet,”Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chuying said at a daily news briefing.
“Internet security is a global issue. In fact, China is a marginalised group in this regard, and one of the biggest victims of hacking attacks,” she said.
