Secondly, build smart cities. Big data is enriching human experiences of how cities function, and it is offering many new opportunities for social interaction and more informed decision-making with respect to our knowledge of how best to interact in cities. On March 16, 2014, Chinese government released the “National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014-2020),” which sets clear targets: By 2020 the country will have 60 percent of its people living in cities, up from 53.7 percent now. Urbanization is designated as a national priority. Big data can provide valuable insights to help China toward more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable urban country. Moreover big data can contribute to channel social discontent. By analyzing social media networks and blogs and then using big data technology, cities would be able to measure public opinion on key issues and services such as public transportation, waste management or public safety allowing them to prioritize and shape policy. In this area, Chinese and U.S. companies have found cooperation opportunities.IBM, in cooperation with China’s Sichuan Huaxun Zhongxing Technologies, has declared to invest nearly CNY 30 billion (approximately US$4.88 billion) to build a service center dedicated to using big data technology to research and develop smart cities. It is a good start.

Thirdly, police affairs and law enforcement cooperation. Now, China is facing a growing terror threat. It is an urgent task for China to deter terrorism. U.S. anti-terrorist measures, especially the technical practice, are valuable for China. According to U.S. law enforcement experience, big data is effective to collect illegal financial transactions, to exploit financial information in an effort to identify previously unknown terrorist handsets and to recognize potential terrorist suspects and planning. It is reported that the U.S. has developed a voiceprint database for several key government departments covering national security, intelligence and the military, where big data systems can be used to help prevent terror attacks and to conduct analysis when an attack occurs, such as the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Police departments in Washington D.C., New Castle County and Delaware are also reported to use "predictive policing" models of big data to shine investigative light on unsolved cases and even help prevent future crimes.

Fourthly, cyber and information security cooperation. Big data is based on the large collection of data. Such large data sets are naturally prime targets for hackers or leakers. The quicker the big data industry expands, the more prominent data security and privacy issues become. Xiaomi Corp, a Chinese smartphone producer, is taking personal data without permission and Baidu collected unauthorized geographical locations through its app services have caused concerns among the Chinese public. Big data's rapid development makes it more urgent for the Chinese government to devise appropriate policies and provide a favorable market environment and a sound legal framework. In the short term, eliminating common cyber threat and risks deterring the development of big data will provide positive energy to resume the suspended activities of the China-U.S. Cyber Working Group, set up by the China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue, as the U.S. exaggerates China’s cyber espionage.

As such, when China and the U.S. both politically reiterate they are determined to avoid conflict and maintain peace, despite deep differences over maritime security and mutual recriminations over cyber-espionage, cooperation in big data could provide a new but real propeller for China-U.S. relations.

Yu Xiang is an Associate Fellow at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.

This article is first published at Chinausfocus.com To see the original version please visit http://www.chinausfocus.com/uncategorized/cooperation-in-big-data-improves-china-us-relations/