Chinese and US officials Monday discussed cyber concerns in working group talks ahead of the key annual China-US Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED), scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday.

The talks, overshadowed by the latest allegations that the US has been hacking into Chinese networks, may be a prelude for both to work on ways to safeguard cyber security.

The two sides set up the cyber security working group in April, to speed up action to prevent hacking attacks.

The working group was led by US cyber issues coordinator Christopher Painter and Chinese foreign ministry official Dai Bing.

The establishment of this working group needs to send a signal that both countries are choosing to talk and cooperate on cyber security, which is imperative to safeguard the stability and peace of global cyberspace, said Yang Yuxi, a research fellow of the China Institute of International Studies.

The US hoped that Monday's talks would "enable the two sides to share perspectives on international laws and norms in cyberspace," US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The US has said that many hacking attacks on its networks, both government and commercial, originate in China. In February one US security firm issued a report accusing a secretive Chinese military unit of being behind many of the attacks.

The Chinese government has repeatedly denied this, saying it is a victim of US-based attacks.

US whistle-blower Edward Snowden told the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post in June that America's National Security Agency had led more than 61,000 hacking operations worldwide, with many targets in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

"The recent leaks just created an atmosphere for bilateral talks in a pragmatic manner," said Shi Yinhong, director of the Center of American Studies of the Renmin University of China, adding that US officials have toned down their tough stance in accusing China of hacking.

"The atmosphere of the discussion will be much more cooperative than before," Shi said.

"Both sides can negotiate on drafting some acceptable rules and norms, or even jointly cracking down on cyber crimes," said Yang, adding that the discussion itself is a channel to promote mutual trust.

Global Times - Agencies