Addressing the opening ceremony of Second World Internet Conference attended by executives of global and Chinese cyber companies, Xi lashed out at “double standards” in safeguarding cyber security and called for governments to cooperate in regulating Internet use.
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Xi made no reference to the case of Pu Zhiqiang, China’s most celebrated human rights lawyer who was tried on Monday over seven microblog posts critical of the ruling Communist Party.
In his speech Wednesday, Xi said that respecting internet users’ rights to exchange ideas and express views was important.
Yesterday, Mr Xi said cyberspace needs freedom and order, adding that “freedom is the goal for order, and order guarantees freedom”. He also called for a clarification of internet users’ “rights and duties”, and for stronger web ethics and moral guidance online.
Central to his vision is the concept of “Internet sovereignty”, which essentially means that every country has the right to set its own rules on governing its cyberspace. Xi described the web as rife with threats to global society, including “the shadow of terrorism”, and crimes, including identity theft, drug dealing, money laundering and gambling.
“After the [exposure] of the US National Security Agency’s PRISM program, more countries have woken up to the fact that “absolute Internet freedom” touted by the US will only end up as “absolute security” in Washington and “absolute insecurity” for the rest”, it said.
President Mamnoon Hussain said that Pakistan’s focus remained on development of ICT infrastructure across the country with special emphasis on serving marginalized segments of the society and bridging the digital divide.
Critics of China’s Internet governance have said foreign tech companies should not lend Beijing credibility by agreeing to comply with its policies.
China is known for censoring online content deemed to be politically sensitive, blocking certain Western websites and social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
These efforts are aimed toward sustaining stability, a scarcity of which the Communist Celebration sees as a direct menace to its rule. Rights groups say any foreign tech firms involved in the conference are tacitly complicit in China’s online censorship.
China’s President Xi Jinping has called on states to honor one another’s “cyber sovereignty” and distinct net government models. Many other countries were represented by locally based diplomats. “We will learn the latest technologies and experience to build a win-win Internet world”. Xi appealed to attendees at the conference, saying that cyberspace should “not be a battlefield”.
“But national security concerns could deter countries from cooperating and pose a challenge for China in pushing for the treaty despite the pressing need”, said Ms Kam.
Lu Wei, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, defended China’s policies at a briefing on the conference earlier this month.
“The Internet is just like water in Wuzhen, interconnected and clear, but needs joint management and governance”, Ma said.
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He said that China was preparing to implement cyber development and big data strategies, and the “Internet Plus” action plan in the next five years.
