Obama Tells China President Hacking Must Stop

US President Barack Obama has bluntly told Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a state visit that cyberattacks must stop.

He said the two leaders had agreed that neither country's government would conduct or support cyber theft of intellectual property.

Mr Obama said he expected Mr Xi to take the pact seriously and threatened sanctions if he doesn't.

He told reporters during a joint press conference he had raised "serious concerns" with Mr Xi about growing cyber threats.

“I indicated that it has to stop," he said.

But he acknowledged Mr Xi had told him he cannot guarantee the conduct of all 1.3 billion people on Chinese soil.

Mr Xi agreed his country would not "knowingly support" cyber theft and promised to abide by "norms of behaviour" in cyberspace.

"Confrontation and friction are not the right choice for both sides," the Chinese leader said.

If China reneges on the deal, Mr Obama said the US would also use law enforcement and other measures "to go after cyber criminals either retrospectively or prospectively".

In their bilateral, Mr Obama said he had also raised concerns over human rights, advocating for freedom of the press and religion.

The US President said he had reiterated the right of all countries to have unimpeded commerce in the disputed South China Sea.

Mr Xi said China was committed to resolving peacefully any disputes in the region.

But he added: "Islands in the South China Sea since ancient times are China's territory.

"We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests."

The state visit is Mr Xi's first to Washington since taking over as president in 2013 and the first by a Chinese head of state since 2011.

Republican outrage over cyberattacks had prompted calls to scale back the grandeur of Mr Xi's visit, which includes a 21-gun salute and a glitzy black-tie dinner.

China has denied being behind cyber spying in the US and says that it, too, is a victim of such espionage.

Last year, the US charged five Chinese with hacking into the networks of several American companies.

And China has been suspected of a huge hacking attack that compromised data on 21.5 million current and former US government employees and job applicants.

As the two leaders met in the Oval Office, First Lady Michelle Obama took her Chinese counterpart, Madame Peng Liyuan, on a tour of a panda exhibit at Washington zoo.