Cyberspace shouldn't be a new battlefield: China Daily editorial

The 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Monday to Tuesday is undoubtedly a preparatory gathering for the BRICS Summit to be hosted by South Africa next month.

It provided developing countries with a platform to share their experiences, wisdom and practices on cybersecurity so as to better coordinate their efforts to improve good governance in cyberspace. That is becoming an urgent task given the developed countries' increasingly obvious intention of taking advantage of their strengths in technology, finance and infrastructure to turn the internet from a public good to a leverage they can use to protect hegemony and vested interests, instigate divisions and confrontation, and incite coups and unrest.

As reflected by remarks of the participants at the meeting, cybersecurity is a common challenge developing countries face, and thanks to the high penetration of the internet, cybersecurity should be regarded as a key foundation of national security, as important as food and energy security. As such, they have reached a consensus that they have to strengthen strategic communication and make clear the direction of cooperation to safeguard their common interests.

To that end, the four-point proposal China's senior diplomat Wang Yi put forward at the meeting deserves the attention of all parties, including the developed countries. As Wang urged, countries should practice genuine multilateralism, support the United Nations in playing a central role in global cyberspace governance, fully heed the legitimate concerns of developing countries, establish fair and reasonable international rules, and establish a democratic and transparent internet governance system.

To safeguard cybersecurity, the international community should respect each country's independent choice of cyber development path and management model, practice the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, advocate the peaceful use of cyberspace, firmly resist an arms race in cyberspace, and oppose attempts to use cyberspace for instigating "color revolutions".

Particularly, the use of information and communication technology should be effectively regulated and joint efforts should be made to combat cybercrimes, promote digital connectivity, narrow the digital divide, strengthen international cooperation in technological innovation, and promote the economic and social development of all countries.

The vitality of cyberspace stems from connectivity and openness. As Wang pointed out, cyberspace should be a "big stage" on which a hundred flowers bloom, rather than a "new battlefield" between the two sides of a digital iron curtain.

The proposals are a practical blueprint for addressing the challenges of cybersecurity.