China, US have seen positive results from cyber security cooperation

San Francisco, Nov. 5 (People’s Daily Online) -- Cai Mingzhao, minister of the State Council Information Office of China said at the 4th World Cyberspace Cooperation Summit on November 5 that China and the United States are Internet giants sharing many common interests and there is enormous scope for cooperation.

The minister said that the two countries have set up a working group on cyber security within the framework of the China-US Strategic Security Dialogue. He said: “We should make good use of this mechanism to carry on dialogue and negotiation on common concerns relating to cyber security so as to increase mutual understanding, keep our differences under control and expand cooperation.”

In June 2011, a joint US-China police operation cracked the world’s biggest Chinese-language pornographic website - the Sunshine Entertainment Alliance. A US-based culprit and 12 suspects located in China were arrested. Closing down the Sunshine Entertainment Alliance was a successful cooperation by Chinese and US law enforcement agencies targeting cross-border cyber crime.

Cai Mingzhao said that cooperation between civil society organizations has also made substantial progress. Four years ago, the minister recommended to Mr. John Edwin Mroz four possible fields in which the Eastwest Institute, the Internet Society of China and CNCERT could cooperate. His suggestion received a positive response from Mr. Mroz and the cooperation has yielded two results. The report, Fighting Spam to Build Trust, issued jointly by EWI and CNCERT in 2011, was a groundbreaking collaborative effort by 34 Chinese and American experts that followed two years of research and discussion.

He also said that the Chinese government has always placed great emphasis on cyber security. China faces serious cyber threats. Between January and August this year, more than 20,000 websites based in China are modified by hackers and more than 8 million servers, 14 percent more than during the same period last year, were compromised and controlled by overseas computers via zombie and Trojan programs. These activities have caused severe damage to China’s economy and the everyday life of the people.

The 4th World Cyberspace Cooperation Summit was held at Sanford University on November 5. More than 350 people, including government officials, international cyber security organizations and information technology company representatives attended the summit. Cai Mingzhao is the only keynote speaker at the summit.