WASHINGTON - After months of US allegations that the Chinese have been launching hack attacks, US President Barack Obama said he and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have reached a “common understanding” on cyber spying issues, according to the Russia Today channel.

“We’ve agreed that neither the US government nor the Chinese government will conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information for commercial advantage,” Obama said, adding that the agreement was in progress. China has repeatedly denied being engaged in cyber spying. Chinese President Xi Jinping told reporters at the White House that “confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides”.

“During my visit, competent authorities of both countries have reached important consensus on joint fight against cyber-crimes. Both sides agree to step up crime cases, investigation assistance, and information-sharing. Both governments will not be engaged in or knowingly support online theft of intellectual properties,” he said. “We will explore the formulation of appropriate state, behavior and norms of the cyberspace. And we will establish a high level joint dialogue mechanism on the fight against cyber-crimes and related issues, and to establish hotline links,” he added.

Xi’s visit to Washington follows a recent cyber scandal at the Office of Personnel Management, already dubbed the biggest government hack in US history. American officials have blamed China for stealing up to 5.6 million fingerprint records, while Beijing has denied any responsibility. In April, Obama signed a decree giving the US government the right to sanction suspected cyber-criminals with financial and travel restrictions. The same month, Pentagon officials told the Senate that they were creating cyber “surge forces” from civilians, as well as the National Guard, to defend critical infrastructure.

On Thursday, the White House said it was considering economic sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities claiming they have profited from hacks of US networks. “I will just say that we have made clear our concerns about China’s activity in cyberspace,” the Guardian cited Obama’s Press Secretary Josh Earnest as saying. “There are a range of tools that are at the president’s disposal to respond to those concerns. We do believe that having those tools on the table, including possible financial sanctions, have been effective as a deterrent and in advancing our interest in that regard.”