BEIJING, July 10 (AFP): The United States and China Thursday ended two days of high-stakes talks seeking to put on a show of unity despite failure to paper over obvious fault lines on cyber-spying and maritime disputes.
Sitting alongside his Chinese hosts, US Secretary of State John Kerry rapped them for what he described as the "chilling effect" of Internet hacking on US businesses.
"Instances of cyber theft have harmed our business and threatened our nation's competitiveness," Kerry warned in a joint closing session in the marble-columned Great Hall of the People, which abuts Tiananmen Square.
"The loss of intellectual property through cyber (spying) has a chilling effect on innovation and investment," he warned.
To Beijing's anger, Washington indicted five Chinese military officers in May for hacking into US companies.
The issue was among many disputes and challenges discussed by the world's two leading economic powers during the sixth annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
China insists that it too is a victim of hacking, and accuses Washington of hypocrisy since it conducts sweeping surveillance around the world.
Leaks by former government contractor Edward Snowden have alleged widespread US snooping on China.
State Councillor Yang Jiechi said cyber security was a "common threat and challenge facing all countries".
"Cyberspace should not become a tool for damaging the interests of other countries," Yang warned at an event billed as a press conference, but was merely a reading of statements by the two sides.
Despite pleas from the US, Beijing did not agree to resume a cyber security working group which it suspended after the unprecedented indictments.
Kerry also pressed Beijing on human rights, and later told reporters that Washington would always stand up for "our values and promote human rights and freedoms."
He said he had "raised concerns about recent detentions and arrests" of journalists and lawyers with his Chinese counterparts.
