Xi: Take cyberspace to new level

Bringing benefits of internet to all nations stressed

President Xi Jinping called on Wednesday for joint efforts to take forward the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to enable the internet to better benefit people of all countries.

He made the remark while addressing the opening ceremony of the 2023 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit via video link.

The three-day conference, being held for the 10th consecutive year in Wuzhen, an ancient water town in Zhejiang province, has brought together top executives from global tech enterprises and leading Chinese internet companies.

In his speech, Xi mentioned the proposal he made during the conference in 2015, when he called for the building of a community of shared future in cyberspace. His proposal has since garnered broad international recognition and positive responses.

Amid intertwining major changes and chaos in the world, addressing development deficits, resolving security challenges and enhancing cultural exchanges are the common challenges of our time, he said.

The internet is increasingly becoming a new driving force for development, a new domain for safeguarding security, and a new platform for cultural exchange, Xi added.

He called on the international community to deepen exchanges and pragmatic cooperation in order to jointly advance to a new stage the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

"We advocate prioritizing development and building a more inclusive and prosperous cyberspace," he said.

This involves deepening international exchanges and cooperation in the digital domain and accelerating the commercial application of science and technology outcomes, Xi said.

He highlighted the need to expand the availability of information technology services, narrow the digital divide, and better ensure public well-being through the development of the internet, and to enable more countries and people to share the fruits of internet development.

"We advocate shared security and peace, aiming to build a more peaceful and secure cyberspace," the president said.

It is important to respect cyber sovereignty as well as the development paths and governance models chosen by each country, abide by international rules governing cyberspace, reject cyber hegemony and oppose cyber confrontations and an arms race in cyberspace, he said.

Xi made an appeal for various sides to deepen practical cooperation in cybersecurity, combat cybercrimes effectively, strengthen data security and personal information protection, and properly handle rule conflicts, social risks and ethical challenges brought about by technological development.

China is willing to work with all parties to implement the Global AI Governance Initiative and promote the secure development of artificial intelligence, he said.

"We advocate cultural exchange and mutual learning to build a more equal and inclusive cyberspace," he said.

This involves enhancing online communication and dialogue, helping people from different countries understand each other, promoting the inclusiveness and coexistence of different civilizations, and better carrying forward the common values of mankind, Xi added.

The Chinese president's remarks inspired business leaders attending the conference.

Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, an association that promotes digital and high-tech cooperation between Europe and China, said Xi's remarks reaffirmed Beijing's resolve in leading the development of an inclusive and secure internet and allowing more countries and people to share the fruit of the internet economy.

He noted that the call for prioritizing development and ensuring a more inclusive and prosperous cyberspace aligns with European values of solidarity and equal opportunities.

Guo Kaitian, senior vice-president of internet giant Tencent Holdings, said that the company was inspired to "take more responsibilities in driving economic development, safeguarding cybersecurity and promoting cultural development".

Zhou Yuan, founder and CEO of knowledge-sharing platform Zhihu, said his company has been inspired by the call from the top leadership to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

"It also inspires us to drive future internet development through technological innovation, and to make technological innovation a force that is able to promote social inclusiveness, universal benefit and industrial resilience," he said.