Cybertheft Agreement With China # Practice Reading

Somber (gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted) against a backdrop (to provide a setting or background for) of grand pageantry (spectacular display; pomp), President Barack Obama laid out a fresh threat (an indication or warning of probable trouble) of sanctions (authoritative permission or approval, as for an action) against China for alleged (declared or stated to be as described; asserted) cybercrimes (criminal activity or a crime that involves the Internet, a computersystem, or computer technology) on Friday, even as he and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement (the act of agreeing or of coming to a mutual arrangement) not to conduct (personal behavior; way of acting; bearing or deportment) or support such hacking (replacement of a single course of stonework by two or more lower courses). “It has to stop,” Obama declared (publicly avowed or professed; self-confessed).

The president, in a Rose Garden news conference (a meeting for consultation or discussion) with Xi, was clear that he’ll be wary (arising from or characterized by caution)until the Chinese follow through on promised (an express assurance on which expectation is to be based) efforts to stop cyberespionage, saying, “The question now is: Are words followed by action?”

As for the possibility (the state or fact of being possible) of sanctions, against either individuals (a single human being, as distinguished from a group), businesses or state-run companies, he said: “We will apply those, and whatever other tools we have in our tool kit, to go after cybercriminals (A cybercriminal is an individual who commits cybercrimes, where he/she makes use of the computer either as a tool or as a target or as both) either retrospectively (directed to the past; contemplative of past situations, events, etc)or prospectively (of or in the future).”

Obama said the agreement was progress (forward or onward movement towards a destination) — but he added that “I have to insist (to lay emphasis in assertion) our work is not yet done.”

Xi, for his part, agreed that the two countries would not “knowingly support” cybertheft and promised to abide by “norms of behavior” in cyberspace.

“Confrontation (an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc) and friction (dissension or conflict between persons, nations, etc., because of differing ideas, wishes, etc)are not the right choice for both sides,” Xi said, speaking through a translator (a person who translates).

Both countries claim they don’t engage (to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons))in cybertheft (Stealing of financial and/or personal information through the use of computers for making its fraudulent or other illegal use) of commercial (prepared, done, or acting with sole or chief emphasis on salability,profit, or success) secrets, one of the deep differences that have threatened (to utter a threat against; menace) ties between the world’s two largest economies (the disposition or regulation of the parts or functions of any organic whole; an organized system or method).

Source :TIME

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