Initiative on Jointly Building a Community With a Shared Future in Cyberspace

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on countries around the world. Only through unity and mutual assistance, will the international community win the battle between humanity and virus and emerge from this difficult time in human history. In the face of emerging risks and challenges, we must enhance solidarity and cooperation in cyberspace, and uphold fairness and justice for shared benefits of the digital economy.

At the second World Internet Conference in 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward four principles and a five-point proposal on global development and governance of the Internet. He advocated respect for sovereignty in cyberspace, and unveiled the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, offering China's wisdom and approach to the global development and governance of the Internet. In 2019, the Organizing Committee of the World Internet Conference released the concept document entitled Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, further elaborating on this vision. The current pandemic highlights greater prominence and urgency to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace. We call on all governments, international organizations, Internet companies, technical communities, social organizations and individual citizens to take the approach to global governance, which is based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, uphold the philosophy of "achieving shared development, ensuring common security, realizing joint governance, and enjoying benefits together", and work together to build cyberspace into a community where we can jointly advance development, safeguard security, participate in governance, and share the benefits. To this end, we would like to propose the following:

Achieving shared development

We should adopt more proactive, inclusive and coordinated policies that benefit all, speed up global information infrastructure construction, promote innovative development of the digital economy and enhance public service capacity.

1. Improving Internet access and promoting connectivity. We should further advance cooperation in communications infrastructure such as optical cable backbone networks and international submarine cables. On the basis of respecting sovereignty in cyberspace and Internet policies of individual countries, we should explore acceptable means of expanding Internet access and connection, and deliver development opportunities brought by the Internet to more developing countries and peoples.

2. Advancing information infrastructure construction. We need to work together to enhance cooperation in information infrastructure construction, operation and service capacity. Support should be given to the construction, application and development of 5G, Internet of Things, and industrial Internet, in an effort to foster new drivers of economic growth and boost economic recovery and development.

3. Enhancing ICT-enabled public service capacity. We should enhance experience sharing and cooperation in the use of digital technologies to respond to such public emergencies as epidemics and natural disasters. Digital technologies should be leveraged to enhance public service capacity in such areas as culture and education, environmental protection, urban planning, community management and healthcare.

4. Integrating digital technologies with industrial development for economic transformation and upgrading. It is important to integrate digital technologies with traditional industries through further application of digital, network and intelligent technologies in industries, promote economic transformation and upgrading, and facilitate the development, utilization and sharing of data resources.

5. Fostering an enabling business environment to maintain open, stable and secure global ICT industrial and supply chains. We call on countries to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment, and strengthen solidarity and cooperation in times of hardship to boost the confidence of global market. Sound multilateral digital rules should be developed to promote mutual trust and win-win cooperation, to ensure openness, stability and security of global ICT industrial and supply chains, in an effort to promote healthy growth of the global economy.

Ensuring common security

We advocate a cybersecurity vision that features openness and cooperation, and encourage Internet development while laying equal emphasis on cybersecurity so as to jointly uphold peace and security in cyberspace.

6. Strengthening strategic mutual trust in cyberspace. Cooperation and dialogues at global, regional, multilateral, bilateral and multi-party levels need to be promoted in a bid to jointly maintain peace and stability in cyberspace and strengthen strategic trust among countries. We oppose acts of attacks, deterrence and blackmailing in cyberspace, stand against conducting activities that undermine other countries’ national security and public interests through the use of ICTs, and guard against arms race in cyberspace as well as attempts to politicize technical issues, so as to create a peaceful environment for development.

7. Stepping up protection of information infrastructure. We should step up cooperation in early-warning and prevention, information sharing and emergency response, and actively engage in experience exchanges in the protection of critical information infrastructure. We stand against impairing the critical information infrastructure or stealing important data of other countries through the use of ICTs.

8. Improving personal information protection and data security management. It is imperative to regulate the practices of collecting, storing, using, processing, transmitting, providing and disclosing personal information so as to protect personal information security. International exchanges and cooperation should be advanced in the fields of data security, personal information protection and relevant rules and standards, and efforts should be made to promote mutual recognition among countries on rules and standards on personal information protection in line with the purposes of the UN Charter. Companies should not pre-install backdoors or malicious codes in their information technology equipment, nor steal users’ data when providing products and services.

9. Strengthening protection of minors in cyberspace. We should promote experience sharing on the legislation of minors protection in cyberspace, combat cybercrimes and cyberbullying targeted at minors, protect their privacy on the Internet, and cultivate their digital literacy so as to help them develop healthy Internet habits.

10. Intensifying international cooperation on combating cybercrimes and cyberterrorism. We should take actions to crack down upon cybercrimes, especially their eco-system and chains, and further improve mechanism building on combating cybercrimes and cyberterrorism. We should support and take an active part in the negotiations on the global convention against cybercrimes under the framework of the United Nations. Effective coordination on legislations and practices of different countries should be made in a joint effort to tackle the threats of cybercrimes and cyberterrorism.

Realizing joint governance

We should stay committed to a multilateral and multi-party approach to cyberspace governance. Dialogues and consultation should be stepped up to foster a more just and equitable governance system in cyberspace.

11. Giving full play to the UN's main-channel role in global governance in cyberspace. We should exert the roles of the UN Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) and the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE), and support formulating codes, norms and principles of responsible state conduct in cyberspace that are acceptable to all parties under the UN framework.

12. Improving the international governance system that is shared and governed by all. We support the roles of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF), the World Internet Conference (WIC), the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and other platforms and promote the participation of governments, international organizations, Internet companies, technical communities, social organizations and individual citizens in the global governance in cyberspace.

13. Participating in Internet infrastructure resource management on an equal footing. The availability and reliability of Internet infrastructure resources for each country should be guaranteed and efforts should be made to promote joint management and fair distribution of Internet infrastructure resources for the international community.

14. Improving governance on new technologies and applications. We should look into laws, regulations, rules and standards to guide the use of new technologies and applications such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and the next-generation communications network, and promote international cooperation in technical standards and ethical norms.

15. Promoting capacity building on cyberspace governance. We call on countries to establish multi-channel exchange platforms, and launch assistance and training programs on global governance in cyberspace under the UN and other multilateral frameworks to help developing countries improve their capacity of participating in global governance.

Enjoying benefits together

We should advocate Tech for Good with a people-centered approach, narrow the digital divide, and achieve common prosperity.

16. Sharing the benefits of e-commerce. Countries need to reduce barriers in market access and other fields for smooth trade channels. Cross-border e-commerce need to be further promoted. Countries need to establish mechanisms for information sharing and mutual trust and recognition. Secure and reliable digital technologies should be encouraged to facilitate cross-border trade.

17. Bringing more opportunities to MSMEs in the digital economy. Policy support needs to be stepped up to assist MSMEs to utilize new generation information technologies for innovation in products, services, processes, and organizational and business modes so as to create more jobs and help MSMEs join the global value chains.

18. Strengthening support and assistance to the vulnerable groups and leaving no one behind. We encourage experience sharing on Internet-enabled targeted poverty alleviation to promote international cooperation in poverty reduction. More products and services suitable for the elderly, the disabled, women and children should be developed, and more policies, measures and technical tools should be employed to improve digital skills of the vulnerable groups for promotion and improvement of digital literacy among the public.  

19. Promoting cyber cultural exchanges and mutual learning. Diversity of the cyber culture should be respected. We advocate for tapping into fine cultural resources to promote Internet-related exchanges and cooperation as well as mutual learning. There is a need to establish inclusive, open and diverse platforms and mechanisms for cyber cultural exchanges.

20. Contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We call on all countries to set great store by the concerns of developing countries, bridge the digital divide and promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and social development with ICTs as an enabler.

The Internet is a shared home for mankind. The future of humanity in cyberspace has never been so closely intertwined. To maintain a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace is to build a better place that we all call home. Going forward, we stand ready to work with the international community to seize the opportunities and address the challenges, so as to jointly build a closer community with a shared future in cyberspace towards a brighter future for humankind.

Organizing Committee of the World Internet Conference