10月4日，中美首轮执法及网络安全对话在华盛顿顺利举行，中国公安部部长郭声琨和美国司法部部长塞申斯、国土安全部代理部长杜克主持了此次会议。执法及网络安全对话是4月中美元首庄园会晤确定的四个高级别对话机制之一，体现出两国领导层对该议题的重视。从首次对话情况看，中美在网络议题上的合作进入到新的层面，两国更偏向于从务实角度考虑问题，注重解决实际问题，继续降低该议题的政治干扰。

执法及网络安全对话的前身是2015年习近平主席与奥巴马总统建立的打击网络犯罪及相关事项高级别联合对话机制。后者自2015年12月以来进行了三轮卓有成效的对话，达成了建立热线机制、合作打击网络犯罪、合作增强网络保护能力、共享网络犯罪信息、开展打击网络犯罪推演等共识。特朗普总统上台后，外界对于这一机制能否延续存在疑问，怀疑特朗普是否对此类政府间正式对话机制不感兴趣。这种担心并不符合实际，特朗普总统对对话机制的重要性有着成熟的认识。新的执法及网络安全对话不仅完全延续了先前对话的领域和基本形式，并将该机制上升为中美四大对话机制之一，其重要性和战略性又得到提升。

首次对话达成的成果令人略感惊讶。虽然成果清单并不长，但一些内容的意义远大于文字本身。首先，双方完全接受了奥巴马任内中美双方达成的共识。中美双方一致同意，2015年以来三次对话达成的共识和合作文件依然有效，中美将继续落实对话达成的共识和承诺，包括对一方提出的协助给予回应、不得支持网络窃密行为、共同推动制订国际网络空间行为准则、保持对话态势和加强网络执法沟通等。特朗普政府全盘接受奥巴马任内的成果并不寻常。上任以来，特朗普总统在气候变化、贸易、伊核协议等议题上采取了与奥巴马截然不同的态度，特朗普不再承认很多奥巴马时期作出的承诺，甚至退出了一些已经加入的协议。中国方面很高兴看到特朗普政府在网络安全议题上并没有采取这种不认旧账的消极态度，而是接受了两国之间的对话基础。

其次，两国淡化了网络议题的政治性和敏感性。奥巴马任内，由于前任国务卿希拉里的介入，网络安全议题一度成为中美关系中的重要敏感议题，其影响远远超出了网络安全或网络犯罪本身，而成为一个带有政治性的敏感议题。美国媒体不关心网络安全议题中的真正风险、真正犯罪者和真正受害者，而把注意力放在渲染中美之间可能出现的网络大战上，渲染所谓中国黑客威胁论。2015年启动中美网络对话后，两国一直致力于淡化该问题的政治色彩，降低两国通过对话、互谅解决该议题的难度。本次对话中，中美双方延续了这一默契，将两国的合作重点放在网络诈骗、黑客犯罪、利用网络实施暴力恐怖活动、网络传播儿童淫秽信息等现实问题，不再谈及中美网络安全领域一些难以处理的历史遗留问题。中美双方在网络安全合作上遵循着以结果为导向、注重实际、服务两国民众的新原则，这将让两国的合作不断取得实际效果。

最后，两国借助网络对话平台促成了更多领域的切实合作。与之前的打击网络犯罪及相关事项对话机制不同，如今的执法及网络安全对话涉及两国更为广泛的执法合作。在该对话机制中，网络安全是两国寻求共识、建立默契的一个切入点，两国也可借此拓展在更多领域的合作。在本次对话中，中美两国就禁毒、追逃追赃、遣返非法移民等议题进行深入交流，达成了初步的合作意向。两国在对话中充分体现出相互尊重、依法对等、坦诚务实的态度，充分照顾了对方的主要关切。针对特朗普上任后提出严格管控非法移民，减少在美逗留非法移民的政策主张，中方承诺建立一个成熟可靠的程序，及时核实非法移民身份，并建立办理使其返回母国的外交手续的快车道。而针对中方关注的追逃追赃问题，美方承诺不成为“避罪天堂”，定期与中方合作建立工作组，解决重点案件的追逃追赃问题。

相比八年前的奥巴马任期，特朗普任内的中美网络安全合作无疑有了一个更好的合作基础、更好的相互理解和更好的舆论氛围。从某个角度来说，网络安全合作正在起着奥巴马任期内气候变化议题的作用，成为带动两国之间更多、更广泛国际议题合作的支点，成为两国合作最重要的增长点。此轮对话为两国这种新的积极态势奠定了基调，也明确了两国未来各类对话的指导原则。执法及网络安全对话结束后，中美新的四个对话机制全面启动，四项对话都体现出两国希望对话更加务实、更聚焦于解决实际问题、能带来更多切实成果的意愿。对话更加符合相互尊重、合作共赢的中美新型大国关系主题。执法及网络安全对话的圆满启动显然让我们对中美合作有着更高的期待，两国有可能在更为广泛的社会治理领域展开深度合作，从根源角度消除中美之间的矛盾和分歧。

The first China-US Law Enforcement and Cybersecurity Dialogue was held on October 4, 2017 in Washington DC. The meeting was co-chaired by Chinese Minister of Public Security Guo Shengkun, and US Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Acting Secretary for Homeland Security Elaine Duke. The dialogue was one of the four high-level China-US communication mechanisms initiated between Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump during the Mar-a-Lago summit in April, and shows the importance attached by the leadership of both nations to this topic. The first round of dialogue proved that China-US cyberspace cooperation has risen to a new level, with both countries committed to tackling problems in this area.

The predecessor of the law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue was the China-US cybercrime and related issues joint dialogue, which was held by President Xi and President Barack Obama in 2015. Three rounds of fruitful joint dialogues have been held since December 2015, and consensus and agreements have been reached, including on establishing a hotline, cooperating in the fight against cybercrime, and strengthening cooperation in network protection. When Trump became president, there were doubts about whether the mechanism could survive, as many believed he would have no interest in it. However, such doubts were unfounded, because Trump has a mature understanding of the importance of such dialogues. The new dialogue inherited the topics and the basic forms of the previous joint dialogue mechanism, and was upgraded into one of the four high-level communication mechanisms, thus elevating its strategic importance.

The results of this first law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue were encouraging. First, both sides accepted the consensus reached during the Obama administration as valid and binding, and agreed to continue to implement their pledges, including to respond to requests for assistance made by the other side, not to support online theft, to work together to promote an international cyberspace code of conduct, and to strengthen communication on cyberspace law enforcement. It is surprising the Trump administration fully accepted the consensus and commitments reached with the Obama administration. Trump has broken with his predecessor on issues such as climate change, trade, and the Iranian nuclear deal. China was very happy to note that this was not the case with cybersecurity.

Second, the two countries tried to minimize politics on cybersecurity. During the Obama administration, due to the involvement of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, cybersecurity became at one point a sensitive issue. During that period, the US media did not care about genuine risks, real criminals or real victims, but focused instead on playing up what they considered a potential cyberwar between China and the US, and on the so-called threats from Chinese hackers. After the China-US dialogue on cybercrime and related issues was initiated in 2015, the two have been trying to reduce politics on the issue in order to solve problems through dialogue and understanding. They have cooperated on cyber fraud, hacking, the spread of violence, terrorism, and child obscenity online.

Lastly, the two nations promoted cooperation in other fields, holding discussions and exchanges on narcotics control, the hunting of fugitives, and the repatriation of illegal immigrants. During the dialogue, the two showed mutual respect, equity, frankness, and pragmatism, and gave due consideration to the main concerns of the other side. In response to Trump's policy of strictly controlling illegal immigrants, China promised to establish a mechanism to quickly verify the identities of illegal immigrants and institute fast-track diplomatic procedures for their repatriation. And with regard to fugitives, one of China's major concerns, the US pledged that it would not be a “haven for fugitives”, and would set up working groups with the Chinese side to hunt down and repatriate them.

Compared with the situation during the Obama administration, China-US cybersecurity cooperation during the Trump administration has a more solid foundation. In terms of promoting cooperation on other issues, cybersecurity cooperation is now playing the role that climate change did during the Obama administration. This round of dialogue helped set a positive tone for bilateral cooperation, and helped define the guiding principles for other dialogues in the future. The dialogue mechanism complies with the needs for the construction of major-country relations, which is characterized by mutual respect and win-win cooperation. The successful launch of the law enforcement and cybersecurity dialogue meant that we can have higher expectations for future China-US cooperation.