BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — How and what to regulate on the Internet has been a concern throughout the world as booming Internet business continues connecting countries.
The quest for a solution reveals existing Internet governance is far from impeccable in reflecting the desires and interests of the majority of countries.
Like the real world, cyberspace, with about 3.2 billion users worldwide, should be a domain of freedom and order.
Rules, which are by no means set to harm the open and democratic nature of the Internet, should be in place to safeguard the users’ rights and interests including exchanging ideas and expressing their minds.
Addressing the second World Internet Conference, President Xi Jinping highlighted a number of principles for reforming how the Internet is governed globally, including respect for cyber sovereignty, maintenance of peace and security, promotion of openness and cooperation and cultivation of good order.
The president said the world has a desire to establish a governance system which is multilateral, democratic and transparent.
The speech has received favorable reviews from people at home and abroad, including World Economic Forum founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, who said Xi’s remarks on open cyberspace reflected the need for global cooperation.
As globalization and cultural diversification further deepen, the role the Internet plays in boosting human progress will be greater. Meanwhile, concerns including the information gap between nations and the spread of terrorist messages and hacker attacks are growing more severe.
Only by pushing forward the reform of the existing Internet governance can the cyberspace grow to be an arena that will benefit the people instead of troubling them.
Since nations differ in size in cyberspace as in real world, the principle of sovereign equality must be upheld as a prerequisite for governance reforms and cooperation.
In this sense, the right of individual countries to independently choose their own path of cyber development and regulation while participating in international cyberspace governance on an equal footing should be respected, in addition to putting cyberspace under rule of law.
Confronted with pressure from economic downturn and the lingering global financial crisis, a stable and prosperous cyberspace means a lot to all the nations in the world.
Further regulations should be made to prevent it from degenerating into a battlefield or a hotbed for crime.
Indeed, with a vision of jointly building a community of shared future, cyberspace should be better governed so it can benefit more people and serve as an engine and catalyst for innovation and economic development. Enditem
Editor Xuefei Chen Axelsson
