David Cameron challenges China to be more open about cyber-security

Off By Sharon Black

Prime minister seeks talks on ‘issue of mutual concern’ amid western fears that Beijing is behind most aggressive online attacks

David Cameron has challenged the Chinese leadership to do more to open up on the highly sensitive area of cyber-security amid fears in the EU and the US that Beijing is responsible for the world’s most aggressive online attacks. The prime minister asked Li Keqiang, the Chinese premier, to agree to a formal dialogue on cyber-security, which he described as an “issue of mutual concern”. Li said Beijing was prepared to discuss the issue.

Cameron’s move came after a Commons committee raised concerns about Britain’s decision to license £600m in cryptographic equipment to China. The committee said: “China is a one-party state, where there is no clear boundary between the Communist party and the private sector. It would seem highly likely that there is a real risk that some cryptographic exports that may be going into the private sector initially end up being utilised by security services in China.”

The prime minister’s decision to raise the issue of cyber-security came on the first day of his visit to China in Beijing on Monday. He spent the second day in Shanghai, where he was guest of honour at a lunch attended by 600 people in the cavernous hall of the city’s exhibition centre, designed by Soviet architects in the 1950s. Cameron said there was a gasp when the National Theatre’s War Horse appeared in the hall.

It is understood that Cameron raised the issue of cyber-security during a formal plenary session with his counterpart in Beijing on Monday. The prime minister said in Shanghai: “I think that a proper cyber-dialogue between countries is necessary and I have raised this with the Chinese leadership – that we need to properly discuss these issues. It is an issue of mutual concern and one that we should be discussing.”

Cameron said he was confident that Britain was doing enough to protect itself against cyber-attacks. The government’s strategic defence and security review identified cyber-security as one of the main challenges of the 21st century. Government sources made clear at the time that they regarded China as the greatest threat.

Cameron said: “What we need to do is to up our investment in cyber-security and cyber-defence and that is exactly what GCHQ is doing. I launched with them a partnership with British industry to make sure that we properly protect ourselves.

“There is an enormous amount of work to be done. But I am content that if you look at the ambition in the strategic defence and security review that we have put in the resources. I think we directed something like £600m from memory into this area and I am content that good work is being done.”

The prime minister asked Li to agree to a more structured dialogue on cyber-security along the lines of three other areas – economic and financial, people to people and human rights. A government official said: “The focus is about how do we make the internet …read more