Despite disagreements over cyber threats, China and the United States have seen growing cooperation between internet technology companies, which analysts say will provide a solid foundation for better relations in electronic security.

In late September, representatives from the top security think tanks of both countries will make public exchanges for the first time at the International Security Conference in Beijing, according to sources with internet security company Qihu 360, a co-sponsor of the annual conference.

Keith B. Alexander, first commander of the U.S. Cyber Command and former chief of the National Security Agency, will make a keynote speech on global cyber threats and elaborate on U.S. strategy and training.

Chinese speakers General Hao Yeli, vice president of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, as well as Zhang Li, assistant to the director of the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, will also take the floor to discuss the establishment of a new order in the cyber world and China's outlook.

The plan to hold such an open public dialogue has revealed both sides' sincerity in overlooking past grievances on the topic in order to strengthen cooperation, said a spokesperson from Qihu 360.

"Detecting unknown menaces and better protection will be the world' s future trend in network protection," said the spokesperson.

Scholars from 19 prestigious universities from both home and abroad and 10 domestic research institutions will join cyber security experts from 30 enterprises to discuss a variety of topics during the conference, due to open on Sept. 29.

Jeffrey Bader, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, called cyber security "a new, difficult issue" for Sino-U.S. relations.

Over the past few years, U.S. companies have worried about intellectual property theft by Chinese companies, while China voiced concerns regarding the magnitude of U.S. cyber espionage after the Snowden Leak.

Despite concerns, Bader sees common ground.

"Any sabotage through cyber means will be something very disturbing to the U.S. and China. China doesn't wish to do that to the U.S. and vice versa," he said in an interview with Xinhua.h He said he' d like to see some kind of agreement where both sides commit to take steps and ensure there will be no sabotage of infrastructure.

With Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming U.S. visit later this month, Chinese IT researchers hope the two giant e-commerce economies iron out their misunderstandings to create a sound environment for technical cooperation and innovation.