For Immediate Release
DHS Press Office
Contact: 202-282-8010
Joint Summary of Outcomes
Today, Chinese State Councilor and Minister of Ministry of Public Security Guo Shengkun co-chaired the second U.S.-China Cybercrime and Related Issues High Level Joint Dialogue with representatives of the U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security. The dialogue aims to implement the consensus reached between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Barack Obama in September 2015 during President Xi’s visit to the United States, and to enhance pragmatic bilateral cooperation with regard to cybercrime, network protection and other related issues.
Since the first dialogue, both sides have worked to implement the consensus reached between the two countries’ presidents and the outcomes of the first dialogue. Both sides continue to develop cooperation on combating cybercrime and network protection investigations and information exchanges, aiming to conduct routine exchanges and improve cyber security cooperation.
The outcomes of the second dialogue are listed as below:
- Tabletop Exercise. Both sides value the cyber tabletop exercise held in April 2016, and regard the exercise as informative and effective. Both sides decided to hold a second tabletop exercise concerning cybercrime and network protection prior to the next dialogue.
- Hotline Mechanism. Both sides decided to implement the “U.S.-China Cybercrime and Related Issues Hotline Mechanism Work Plan,” and have reached consensus on the scope, objective and procedures of the hotline. China and the United States decided to test the hotline mechanism before September 2016.
- Network Protection. Both sides decided to continue to strengthen cooperation in network protection. Both sides decided to hold a network security and protection working-level expert seminar in August 2016 in China. The experts decided to meet regularly in the future and report to the ministerial level at the High-Level dialogue in the future.
- Information Sharing, Case Cooperation and Resources. Both sides decided to: enhance case investigations and information exchange related to cybercrime and other malicious cyber activities; exchange information and develop cooperation in cybercrime investigations and cyber incidents of mutual concern; hold a workshop to discuss how to enhance information exchanges and handling related to Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement (MLAA); and share cyber threat information on a regular basis, including increasing information sharing of malicious software samples and related analysis reports. Both sides acknowledge the importance of the increase of manpower and resources to tackle cybercrime threats and decided to further strengthen communication mechanisms as well as respective central authorities under the MLAA. Both sides discussed the 24/7 High Tech Network of international points of contact for the purpose of assisting in investigations involving electronic evidence that require urgent assistance from foreign law enforcement.
- Cyber-Enabled Crime. Both sides commit to prioritize cooperation on combatting cyber-enabled intellectual property (IP) theft for commercial gain and cooperate in law enforcement operations in four additional areas: online child pornography distribution, misuse of technology and communications for terrorist activities, commercial email compromise/phishing and online firearms trafficking. Both sides decided to conduct a proposed seminar on misuse of technology and communications to facilitate violent acts of terrorism in 2016 in China before the next round of the dialogue. The United States and China decided to create an action plan to address the threat posed from business email compromise scams.
- Senior Experts Group. Both sides discussed the first U.S.-China Senior Experts Group on International Norms in Cyberspace and Related Issues.
- Third High-Level Dialogue. Both sides plan to hold the next round of the dialogue in the second half of 2016 in Washington, D.C.