New Year Message from the Chair of the World Internet Conference

New Year Message from the Chair of the World Internet Conference

(December 31, 2024)

Distinguished members of the World Internet Conference (WIC) and its Council, and dear friends who share aspirations and seek common development with the WIC,

Happy New Year!

As we bid farewell to the past year and welcome the new one, I, on behalf of the WIC, extend my warmest wishes to all council members, members, and friends of the WIC. I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported and participated in the work of the WIC.

The year 2024 is the third year since the establishment of the WIC as an international organization, with the WIC Wuzhen Summit heralding the start of a new chapter for the next decade. President Xi Jinping extended his congratulations via video to the 2024 WIC Wuzhen Summit, emphasizing the need to embrace innovation as the primary driver, uphold security as the baseline requirement, and pursue inclusiveness as the core value, and calling for accelerated efforts to promote innovative, secure, and inclusive development in cyberspace and working together to usher in a brighter digital future. His message provides fundamental guidance for enhancing international exchanges and cooperation in the internet sector and for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Reflecting on 2024, the WIC has continuously served as a platform for international exchanges and cooperation. We have worked to translate the concept of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace into a global consensus and concrete actions, taking new steps to address challenges and promote cooperation together.

This has been a year of building consensus. We successfully hosted the 2024 WIC Wuzhen Summit, the Computing Power Network Forum in Barcelona and the Digital Silk Road Development Forum, among other international events. We held two Council meetings, finalized key institutional documents, and organized a theoretical seminar on advancing the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage. These initiatives have fostered broader communication and mutual learning and continuously gathered strength for progress.

This has been a year of breaking new ground. We introduced the WIC Distinguished Contribution Award, launched the WIC Digital Academy, and firstly held the WIC Global Elite Training. We also issued the "WIC Global Youth Leaders Initiative". With focus on emerging fields, these efforts have created new opportunities for collaboration and fostered new drivers for internet development.

This has been a year of contributing wisdom. We established the WIC Specialized Committee on Artificial Intelligence, initiated the WIC Think Tank Cooperation Program, released several reports, and participated in international governance process for internet development. Our contributions have provided valuable insights into building a prosperous, inclusive, and equitable cyberspace.

Looking ahead, the future and prospects for development are full of possibilities, and only by enduring hardships as one, can we thrive. Now, more than ever, the international community must join hands to seize the historical opportunity of the information revolution and create a better future for humanity. The WIC will continue to serve as a platform for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, build consensus on internet governance, deepen global cooperation, and jointly build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, ensuring that the internet deliver more benefits to people worldwide.

Looking to 2025, we will witness a more vibrant and diverse global internet landscape and usher in a more dynamic wave of technological progress. Let us work together to advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace and step into an even brighter digital future!

Wishing you all a happy New Year!

Zhuang Rongwen,

Chair of the World Internet Conference