WUZHEN: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called on all nations to respect each other’s cyber sovereignty and said there should be no Internet hegemony.
Xi made the remarks in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second World Internet Conference held in the town of Wuzhen, in east China’s Zhejiang Province.
The president said sovereign equality, a principle established by the Charter of the United Nations, is a basic norm of modern international relations, and it covers all aspects of state-to-state relations, including cyberspace.
“Countries have the right to independently choose how they will tread the path of cyber development, as well as issue their own regulations and public policies”, he said. The right for countries to participate in international cyberspace governance as equals should be respected by all, Xi said.
No country should pursue cyber hegemony, interfere in other nation’s internal affairs, or engage in, connive at and support cyber activities that undermine the national security of other countries, he added.
China is preparing to implement cyber development and big data strategies, and the “Internet Plus” action plan in the next five years, Xi said.
While nurturing a positive and uplifting cyber culture, Xi said the country will facilitate the growth of the cyber economy and promote the integration of the Internet with economic and social progress. China attaches great importance to Internet development, Xi said.
At a key meeting earlier this year, the Communist Party of China (CPC) presented the concept of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development.
The President said that since gaining access to the Internet 21 years ago, China has followed a policy of a proactive utilization, scientific development, law-based management, and assurance of security.
As such China has grown its information infrastructure, developed the cyber economy, and made life better for the public, he added.
With around 670 million users and over 4.13 million websites in China, the Internet and economic and social development have become intrinsically linked, Xi said.
INP