Gong and Wan first told the Chinese media about their plans to write a convention after the Chinese supreme court ruled in August that hackers could be subject to penalties based on existing laws. Gong said China lacked a healthy hacking culture, and newcomers with an interest in technology could easily fall down the wrong path.

Chinese authorities have repeatedly denied that the government supports hacking. But the country has of state-sponsored cyber attacks. One recent large-scale attack involved a hacking group that and organizations across 14 countries, according to security vendor McAfee. Analysts have pointed fingers at China because of the targets selected.