Xi: Stable cyberspace is crucial

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for China and the United States to "embark on constructive dialogues regarding the cyber issue".

It was the third time in three days that Xi addressed the cybersecurity issue on his first state visit to the United States.

Xi spoke to delegates at the eighth annual China-US Internet forum at Microsoft Corp headquarters in Redmond, Washington and noted the pervasiveness of the Internet ranging from routine uses in people's daily lives to the security of a country's infrastructure.

"A cyberspace of security, stability and prosperity is of increasing major significance to the peace and development of a country and even the world," Xi said.

How to govern the Internet and use it to its full potential is a major issue that all countries are investing in and researching,Xi said.

"Both China and the United States are major cyberspace countries, and the two sides have important interests and the room for cooperation," Xi said.

"The two sides should work on the basis of mutual respect and mutual trust, embark on constructive dialogues regarding the cyber issue, forge a new highlight for China-US cooperation, and make the cyberspace better benefit people of the two countries and the world," Xi said.

Xi also called on all countries to stipulate Internet public policies that correspond with their own national conditions.

The Chinese leader touched upon the cyberspace issue in an interview with The Wall Street Journal prior to his current visit to the US and in a speech addressing a welcoming dinner in Seattle on Tuesday.

Cybersecurity has become a thorny issue between China and the US, as the Americans have recently stepped up pressure on China for alleged cyberattacks, which China has denied.

Earlier this month, the two countries reached a consensus on combating cybercrimes during a visit by Xi's special envoy Meng Jianzhu, a senior official in China in charge of public security.

Su Ge, president of the China Institute of International Studies (CIIS), said the two nations are not expected to shirk away from thorny issues, including the cyberspace security, during this high-level state visit.

"The meetings this year will give the two sides an opportunity to work on confidence building plans in regard to the cyber security issue," Su said.

The China-US Internet Industry Forum is an annual gathering, and this year it was hosted by the Internet Society of China and Microsoft.

In attendance were Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd; Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO; and Ginni Rometty, CEO and chairwoman of IBM Corp.