The two countries have been urgently negotiating a cybersecurity deal in recent weeks. The heated debate led to a conclusion by many that the US and China have finally agreed on something. Some believe that they may announce an agreement reached upon the arrival of the Chinese president Xi Jinping in Washington.

The long-waited cybersecurity deal could address issues caused by cyber attacks on power stations, cellphone networks and hospitals. These hints were given by unidentified officials cited in the media. Nevertheless, the initial agreement was likely to fall short of offering any protection against the types of cyberattacks that US has blamed on China within the last few years – such as espionage and the widespread poaching of intellectual property.

As you may remember, a few days ago, Barack Obama called for an international framework to prevent the worldwide web from being “weaponised” as a tool of national aggression. He went as far as to hold out the prospect of a forceful US response to China over hacking attacks if those repeat.

Obama also mentioned that online security would be a major focus in his negotiations with the Chinese president, because this topic has long become a point of friction in the relations between the two countries.

According to media reports, one aim of the American negotiators is to have Chinese officials implement a code of conduct adopted recently by a working group at the United Nations. It is known that one of the principles of that code of conduct is that no state should allow cyber activity that threatens to cripple another state’s critical infrastructure during peacetime.