China yesterday tried to cool a dispute with Washington over cyberspying, reminding the US of its need for Chinese help over North Korea and appealing to it not to hurt cooperation in anti-terrorism and other areas.
The effort at damage control, despite the outraged tone of Beijing’s rejection of spying allegations last week, reflects the importance of commercial and political ties between the two biggest economies.
“The row between China and the United States over cybersecurity should not become a rift to undermine the two sides’ cooperation on other issues of common concern,” Xinhua news agency said in a commentary.
The US filed criminal charges last week against five Chinese military officers accused of breaking into computers of major US firms to steal commercial secrets. China has denied the accusations.
Yesterday’s commentary called on Washington to “refrain from taking further wrongful steps.”
The appeal came just a day after a Chinese Cabinet agency issued a sharply worded report that said pervasive US cyberspying against Chinese targets “flagrantly breached” international law. It called on Washington to stop.
Xinhua said that Washington needs Beijing’s support in trying to resolve tensions on the Korean Peninsula and to combat climate change, while China is an important market for US companies.
“The United States is more than an important trading partner, but also a staunch fighter against terrorism,” Xinhua said. “The US role in eliminating terrorism globally has become especially important for China now, when it has been exposed to dangerous terrorist attacks in the past few months.”
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