By Star Chang, posted Mar 16, 2013 at 12:06 AM, 234 views,

Obama Calls China New President to Discuss Cybersecurity Dispute

U.S. President Obama called to congratulate China’s new president Xi Jinping, reportedly taking the opportunity to talk to the new leader about the increasingly tense cyber security situation developing between the two countries. The two leaders committed to engage in an ongoing discussion to address the cyber issue. The New York Times reports that Obama specifically mentioned stealing U.S. companies’ proprietary information and intellectual property. Earlier this week, U.S. intelligence leaders said for the first time that cyber attacks and cyber espionage had supplanted terrorism as the top security threat facing the United States. U.S. businesses are increasingly alarmed about the targeted theft of confidential business information and proprietary technologies through cyber intrusions emanating from China. The issue has soared to the top of the U.S.-China agenda. Communist China needs to come to the table to discuss cyber security rules with America. It will be thrilling to see a major confrontation between Beijing and Washington over this cyber quarrelling.

SOURCE: REUTERS, NYT