Concept Paper of "Jointly Building a Community With a Shared Future in Cyberspace"

Fundamental Principles

To build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, the following principles should be upheld:

Respecting sovereignty in cyberspace. The principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations is a basic norm governing contemporary international relations. It covers all aspects of state-to-state relations, and should likewise apply to cyberspace. Sovereignty in cyberspace is a natural extension of the national sovereignty in cyberspace. We should respect the right of each country to independently choose its own development path and governance model, and to participate in global governance in cyberspace on an equal footing. All countries have the right to formulate public policies, laws and regulations relating to cyberspace based on their own national contexts by drawing on experience of other countries. No country should pursue Internet hegemony, or use the Internet to interfere in another country’s internal affairs. No country should engage in, condone or support cyber activities that endanger other countries' national security, or sabotage their information infrastructure.

Upholding peace and security. A secure and stable cyberspace bears on the shared well-being of humanity. All countries should uphold the international system with the UN as its core, observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and respect each other's security interests and major concerns in cyberspace. Countries should oppose hostile activities and acts of aggression, prevent arms race and military conflict in cyberspace, and remain committed to resolving disputes by peaceful means. Countries should oppose attempts to politicize cybersecurity issues. Countries should abandon the Cold War mentality, zero sum games, double standards, trade protectionism and unilateralism, and oppose cyber-attacks, large-scale surveillance operations and unfounded accusations of cyber-attacks against other countries. Countries should make concerted efforts to maintain peace and security in cyberspace.

Promoting openness and cooperation. Openness is a prerequisite for cooperation in cyberspace and an important condition for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Countries should work together for the healthy development of cyberspace with an open mind, by adopting policies of openness in more areas and at a higher level. Platforms for bilateral, regional, and international cooperation are needed to leverage the complementarity of resources and strengths. We need to maintain harmonized global innovation architecture, and encourage inclusive development among different social systems, ethnicities, and cultures in cyberspace. We should firmly reject narrow-minded and closed cliquish thinking, and oppose attempts by any country to use its own strengths to undermine the security of other countries' supply chains of ICT products and services.

Building a sound order. Cyberspace is not a place beyond the rule of law, and a sound order must be established on the basis of commonly recognized international laws and basic norms governing international relations. All countries, regardless of size, strength or wealth, are equal members of the international community and are entitled to participate in cyberspace rules-making on an equal footing. The international community should jointly manage and fairly distribute basic Internet resources, increase developing countries' representation and voice in global governance in cyberspace, and work toward the cyberspace where countries can share resources, shoulder common responsibilities and exercise joint governance, in a bid to establish a just and equitable order in cyberspace.