Obama calls on China to take 'concrete steps' to ease tensions
US President Barack Obama has tried to press top Chinese officials over a number of issues, including Beijing’s cyber and maritime activities.
During a closed-door meeting at the White House on Wednesday, Obama urged a Chinese delegation to take “concrete steps” to ease tensions over alleged cyber intrusions and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.
Obama "raised ongoing US concerns about China's cyber and maritime behavior, and he urged China to take concrete steps to lower tensions," the White House said in statement.
The meeting was the annual strategic and economic dialogue between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of State John Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew hosted the talks.
Ties between the two countries have strained after the United States recently accused China of cyber spying.
Washington also says it wants Beijing to reduce tensions in the South China Sea, where the country is locked in territorial disputes with its neighbors. Beijing insists Washington must stay out of the row.
Kerry said cyber hacking has threatened US security and "harmed American businesses."
He said the US delegation raised the issue with the Chinese side in an "honest discussion without accusations or finger-pointing, about the problem of cyber theft and whether or not it was sanctioned by government."
Kerry went on to say that the US had "made it crystal clear that this is not acceptable and we need to work through."
Meanwhile, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi demanded the US "respect and accommodate the concerns of China and handle differences and sensitive issues with caution."
Jiechi called on Washington “to respect facts and work together with China to improve the cyber relations between the two countries."
He stated the US should “respect China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and respect the development path chosen by the Chinese people.”
Washington accuses Beijing of undergoing a massive “land reclamation” program in the Spratly archipelago of the South China Sea, and says China’s territorial claims of the man-made islands could further militarize the region.
The United States says its surveillance of China’s artificial islands indicates that Beijing has positioned weaponry on one of the islands it has built in the South China Sea.
Beijing says it is determined to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity in the South China Sea.
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