Can A Cybersecurity Agreement Be Reached Between the US and China?

Two countries - different leadership, different goals. Chinese and American officials said Tuesday they're committed to bridging their differences on cybersecurity and moving to implement recent agreements, as they held talks amid complaints over China-based hacking operations that the U.S. says may have already cost U.S. companies tens of billions of dollars. Repeated meetings between the sides on cybersecurity indicate the seriousness with which the Obama administration regards the issue, the U.S. ambassador to China, Max Baucus indicated at the start of the two-day talks in western Beijing. U.S. officials have been particularly eager to build on an agreement forged during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the White House last September that says neither government will support commercial cyber-theft. The deal was viewed by Washington as a diplomatic breakthrough, although U.S. officials have not conclusively determined that it has led to a decline in hacks against U.S. companies. "We're here today to ensure implementation of agreements made by the two presidents, commitments that illustrate that we can work through areas of differences to reach areas of cooperation," Baucus said, referring to the agreement, which he called a "major advancement."  Can a meaningful agreement be reached or is this an exercise in futility knowing China's deep-rooted cyber strategies? Share your comments with the Cloud and Cyber Security Center: http://cloudandcybersecurity.blogspot.com/