By Shannon Tiezzi
A delegation of Chinese officials visited the U.S. for talks on cybersecurity issues.
From September 9-12, Chinese officials visited the United States as part of a series of visits to prepare for Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip. This visit, led by Meng Jianzhu, the secretary of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, was particularly noteworthy as it focused on one of the main points of friction between the U.S. and China: cyber affairs.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei announced on Monday that Meng’s delegation consisted of “leading officials from the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security, the Ministry of Justice and the Cyberspace Administration of China.” The officials met with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (Meng’s official host), as well as Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Advisor Susan Rice. A White House statement said that Meng and the delegation also met with “representatives from the Departments of State, Treasury, Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the intelligence community,” including FBI director James Comey.
The White House said Meng “traveled to Washington as President Xi Jinping’s special envoy to discuss cybersecurity and other issues.” The statement said Meng and Rice in particular had had a “frank and open exchange about cyber issues.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat