Getting China to talk about cyberespionage

[Commentary] Economic espionage in cyberspace is a pressing issue where progress might be possible. To say that China has carried out a massive stealing campaign is not hyperbole, Chinese denials notwithstanding. The intrusions have been increasingly well documented. The United States also carries out cyberspying against China, and a nascent, offensive U.S. cyberwarfare capability is growing. But U.S. intelligence agencies do not steal technology or proprietary information for the private sector.

China probably can’t turn off the economic espionage like a switch. There’s plenty of nasty stuff in cyberspace that both countries probably can’t control — malicious code, disruptions and hacking. Both will remain wary military competitors, on the ground and in cyberspace. But President Xi Jinping could agree to a sustained and deeper engagement on the topic, perhaps with an accelerated pace of bilateral working groups, both military and diplomatic. A useful long-range goal for these talks would be an agreement on norms and standards of behavior. They could take off the table some of the most egregious actions, such as grand theft of intellectual property.