U.S. and China Forging Cyberspace Arms Accord

The U.S. and China are working to create the first ever arms control agreement overseeing cyberspace. Each would pledge not to be the first to use cyberweapons to cripple the other’s infrastructure during peacetime. The accord would cover systems that control power stations, banking, cellphone networks, and hospitals. It would not cover the kinds of data hacks that the U.S. has said China uses to poach intellectual property and gather personal data. Negotiators hope to have a version of the accord ready to announce when President Xi Jinping of China arrives in Washington D.C. this week.