Chinese state-backed hackers are attempting to steal corporate secrets from US companies, despite a recent agreement between the two countries to stop the theft of intellectual property, according to a report by a cyber security company.

Crowdstrike, which detects intrusions on computers, said Chinese attackers appeared to be pressing on with attempts at breaking into American corporations, particularly in the intellectual property-rich technology and pharmaceutical sectors.

Dmitri Alperovitch, co-founder of Crowdstrike and a former senior leader at McAfee, said the first intrusion came just a day after President Barack Obama and President Xi Jinping had agreed not to conduct or knowingly support the theft of trade secrets to improve companies’ competitiveness.