Best way to fight cyber threat

It seems that the US has mastered the art (and science) of using its cyber power to keep churning out claims that run counter to facts in order to maintain its hold over other countries as far as information technology is concerned and prevent the leak of its essential commercial and state secrets. Su's case is the latest US effort to use, as it alleges, "rampant Chinese industrial espionage" as an excuse to continue and intensify its espionage.

Washington has come under fire since Snowden exposed the NSA's global surveillance program. Also, Snowden's revelations compelled many countries to take counter-espionage measures against the US. As a result, the US has become desperate to turn the tide of global opinion by launching a publicity campaign to justify its cyber surveillance program on the pretext that it is meant to predict and mitigate possible national security threats.

The US has been trying relentlessly to direct global attention toward China by portraying it as a country that hacks security networks of other countries to steal trade secrets. The indictment of five Chinese military officers by the US Department of Justice and the case against Su, based on muddy facts and lax evidence, show how desperate Washington is to distract attention from the NSA's criminal activities.

The technological advancement by China, too, is a factor prompting the US' campaign to stem cyber-enabled theft of high-tech data. China is narrowing the gap with the US in comprehensive national strength and thus putting enormous pressure on Washington to upgrade its industrial technologies. No wonder the US continues to restrict the export of high technology to China and strengthen its cyber security.

Although there has been no explicit allegation of the Chinese government's involvement in Su's case, the underlying logic of the complaint hints at Chinese entities, insinuating that the Chinese government, military and State-owned companies are the buyers of the alleged stolen data.

As a victim of cyber attack, China respects and follows all the laws of cybersecurity. The US is thus making a mockery of itself by branding China a "hacking empire" in order to maintain its cyber hegemony and blunt world anger against its global surveillance program.

The governance of cyberspace commands the concerted efforts of the international community, and despite the differences between Beijing and Washington over cybersecurity, there is enough room for dialogue and cooperation between the two major players in a wide range of cyber issues, including the formulation of norms of state behavior in cyberspace. It will be of great help to not only the two countries, but also the international community as a whole if Washington puts its differences aside to join hands with Beijing in dealing with cyber threats and making cyberspace a more secure sphere.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of American Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.