Xi champions shared future in cyberspace

With the rapid evolution of information technology worldwide, particularly the development and application of artificial intelligence, the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping 10 years ago, has become more relevant to forging a better digital future, according to experts.

The vision views the development and governance of the internet from the perspective of the future and destiny of humanity, providing both theoretical guidance and action guidelines for promoting the secure, stable and prosperous development of cyberspace globally, said Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China and chairman of the World Internet Conference.

Zhuang made the statement in an article published in the 10th issue of Zhongguo Wangxin, a monthly magazine of the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The article came ahead of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, which will be held from Thursday to Monday in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, under the theme "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Future of Digital Intelligence — Jointly Building a Shared Future in Cyberspace".

The event is expected to focus on new trends in cutting-edge internet technologies and new developments in cyberspace governance, and discuss technology-driven industrial innovation and practices, as well as approaches concerning the governance of cyberspace and frontier technologies, according to Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC.

The WIC, an international event held annually by China since 2014, has been a milestone effort made by the country to advance the building of a better, cleaner and safer cyberspace.

While delivering a keynote speech at the second edition of the conference in 2015, Xi proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, highlighting that cyberspace is a common area for the whole of humanity and its future should be vested in the hands of all nations.

To build such a community, Xi said it is necessary to accelerate the construction of global internet infrastructure to enhance interconnectivity, build an online platform for cultural exchanges and mutual learning, promote the innovative development of cyber economy for common prosperity and uphold cybersecurity for orderly internet development.

Sensing the greater role that the internet will play in the progress of human civilization and the growing cybersecurity problems, Xi called for improving the global internet governance system to maintain cyberspace order through broader international cooperation.

He said the international community should work together to foster a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace and put in place a multilateral, democratic and transparent global internet governance system.

Over the past decade, the vision of jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace has been continuously enriched and developed.

With the WIC as a platform, China has been a promoter of turning the vision into reality.

Vision in action

In 2019, the WIC released the Concept Paper of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, which comprehensively elaborated on the historical context, fundamental principles, practical paths and governance framework regarding this concept.

In 2020, the conference released the Initiative on Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, further translating the concept into concrete actions.

In 2022, on the eve of the WIC Wuzhen Summit, a white paper titled "Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace" was published, which shared China's positive achievements in promoting this initiative and envisioned the prospects for international cooperation in cyberspace.

In the face of the opportunities and challenges arising from AI development, China proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative in 2023, calling for adherence to the principle of developing AI for good, and supporting discussions within the framework of the United Nations to establish an international institution to govern AI and coordinate efforts to address major issues concerning international AI development, security and governance.

While addressing Session II of the 32nd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting in Gyeongju, the Republic of Korea, on Saturday, Xi highlighted that AI is very important for shaping the future and should contribute to the well-being of people of all countries and regions.

"We should bear in mind the well-being of the entire humanity, and promote the sound and orderly development of AI while ensuring that it is beneficial, safe and fair," he said.

Noting that China has proposed the establishment of a World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, Xi expressed the hope that the organization will provide the international community with public goods on AI through cooperation on development strategies, governance rules and technological standards.

China now ranks second globally in the World Artificial Intelligence Innovation Index, behind only the United States, according to a report released in July at this year's World Artificial Intelligence Conference. While AI continues to drive technological progress, it also brings new cybersecurity risks.

A report on the cybersecurity situation in 2025 from the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center reveals a significant rise in AI-related network and data security risks, compared with the previous year, with network attacks accounting for 29 percent and data breaches 26 percent.

In light of these growing risks, the Cybersecurity Law, which has been pivotal to safeguarding national cyberspace sovereignty and security since its implementation in June 2017, was recently amended to address the new challenges posed by AI.

As AI increasingly permeates every aspect of daily life, security should no longer be treated as an afterthought or a problem to be addressed later, said Li Hewu, deputy director of Tsinghua University's Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace. "Instead, it must become a core focus of technological innovation," Li said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.

caodesheng@chinadaily.com.cn