China has signed an agreement to stop conducting state-sponsored cyberattacks against the Canadian private sector, the Globe and Mail reported on Sunday, citing an official communiqué.
The agreement was worked out on Friday during talks in Ottawa between senior communist party official Wang Yongqing and Canada's national security and intelligence adviser, Daniel Jean, the report said.
"This is something that three or four years ago (Beijing) would not even have entertained in the conversation," Globe and Mail reported, citing a Canadian government official, who is not authorized to speak on the record for the government.
The new agreement only covers economic espionage, which includes hacking corporate secrets and proprietary technology, but does not preclude China from conducting state-sponsored cyberattacks against the Canadian government or military, the report said.
"The two sides agreed that neither country's government would conduct or knowingly support cyber-enabled theft of intellectual property, including trade secrets or other confidential business information, with the intent of providing competitive advantages to companies or commercial sectors," the Globe and Mail reported, citing an official communiqué drawn up between China and Canada.
Offices of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
China's foreign ministry also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.