After the global WannaCry ransomware attack infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries, those affected learned their lessons, said Li Zheng, a research assistant at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, adding that such cases provided new impetus for Sino-US cooperation on cybersecurity protection.
Li noted that there's no safe zones to hide from Internet viruses, and that international cooperation is the only feasible response to such crises. For instance, China and the US could exchange information about transnational hacker organizations and jointly tackle potential bugs in the software.
Such cyber attacks resulted from Internet weapons developed by the US, Li claimed, but such militarization exacerbates the uncertainty and insecurity of the global cyberspace, since cyber-weapons can easily get out of control. Facing the undervalued risks of cyber militarization, Li suggested "arms control" managed by China and the US is a necessary step to keep cyber-weapons from spreading.