Chair,
At the outset, please allow me to express my appreciation to your efforts to convene this meeting. Capacity-building is an important element of the framework for responsible State behavior in the use of ICTs. The 2021 OEWG final report has reached consensus on ten agreed principles of capacity-building and provided a foundation for international cooperation. I believe this roundtable will play an important and active role in pooling consensus and enhancing exchanges and cooperation among States.
Chair,
China is a witness as well as beneficiary of global digital development. In 1994, China realized full access to the Internet after a 64K dedicated international line was launched from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. After 30 years of vigorous development, China has chartered a path of cyber and information development with Chinese characteristics, paced forward on boosting China's strength in cyberspace and digital development, and built a vibrant digital society with the largest scale in the world. China is currently home to the largest population of Internet users in the world with nearly 1.1 billion people, or 77.5% of the total population. China has built the largest and advanced cyber infrastructure in the world, with 5G networks covering all municipalities and counties. In 2022, the overall scale of China's digital economy has reached 50.2 trillion RMB, and China took up 10.5% of the global data output.
Meanwhile, we are also faced with risks and challenges that arose with the development of ICTs. We have seen an increasing trend of bloc confrontation, militarization and fragmentation in global cyberspace. Certain country proliferates advanced cyber weapons, and cyber-attacks are rampant. With the rapid development of emerging technologies including cloud computing, AI and quantum computing, the risks of data leak, security vulnerabilities and online fraud have increased. In face of these challenges, China adheres to a principle of coordinating security with development, and continuously pushes forward digital development and enhances cybersecurity capacity.
Firstly, we have built and improved the policy framework on cybersecurity. China has introduced more than 150 laws and regulations on cyber issues including Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, and Personal Information Protection Law, and issued over 300 national standards on cybersecurity and led or participated in the formulation of over 50 international standards. We have issued "Twenty Measures on Data" and the Regulations on Promoting and Regulating Cross-border Data Flow, safeguarding data security and facilitating lawful and free data flow. We have released Internet Information Service Algorithmic Recommendation Management Provisions and Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI, which is the world's first law specifically designed for Generative AI.
Secondly, we have accelerated the building of digital telecommunication infrastructure. China advocates a people-centered approach in order to provide accessible, affordable and high-quality ICT services to everyone. We are speeding up to build high-speed, mobile and secure information infrastructure, moving forward digital infrastructure of 5G, fiber optic broadband network, IPv6, BeiDou Satellite Navigation System and cloud computing, etc. We have witnessed robust development of AI industry, Internet of vehicles, Internet of Things and Industrial Internet, forging a cyber and digital environment featuring interconnectivity, human-computer interaction and space-to-land integration.
Thirdly, we keep developing the cybersecurity industry. China’s cybersecurity market has been scaling up, and cybersecurity industry has covered all basic areas including cyber infrastructure and data security. Over 90 colleges and universities in China have set up cybersecurity academies, and more than 200 of them have cybersecurity majors, building a virtuous cycle of talent cultivation, technological innovation and industrial development.
Chair,
China has been actively engaged in international cooperation with a vision of building a community with shared future in cyberspace. In 2017, China issued the International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace, which laid out the general principles, goals and action plans of China’s international cooperation in cyberspace. China has put forward the Global Initiative on Data Security and Global AI Governance Initiative, and signed data cooperation initiatives with five central Asian countries and the League of Arab States respectively. China has been a major participant in G20 and APEC digital economy and data security cooperation, played a constructive role in multilateral cybersecurity process including the BRICS, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and ASEAN Regional Forum, and deepened policy exchanges and practical cooperation with countries and regions across Asia, Africa and Latin America. We have been hosting the World Internet Conference for 10 consecutive years and established an dedicated international organization, which serves as an important platform for interconnectivity, joint governance and shared benefits between China and other countries.
China is committed to promoting interconnectivity of global information infrastructure and has participated in the construction of more than 130 sets of cross-border land cables and over 10 international submarine cables. We have made donations to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Asia-Pacific Telecommunity to carry out capacity-building programs on ICTs in developing countries. China’s law enforcement agency has been cooperating with international counterparts on countering the use of ICTs for criminal purposes. In 2023, we have received and inspected 162 requests for cybercrime investigation assistance from law enforcement agencies in 34 countries and regions. China’s National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team (CNCERT) carries out extensive exchanges and cooperation with major countries’ national CERTs, government agencies, international organizations and alliances. CNCERT has established “CNCERT Cooperation Partnership” with 289 organizations from 83 countries and regions. We handle more than 10 thousand cross-border cybersecurity incidents together with over 50 countries every year. We also hold CNCERT Cooperation Partnership Forum, Forum on Development and
International Cooperation of Cybersecurity Technology, China-ASEAN Cybersecurity Emergency Response Capacity-Building Seminar. In recent years, China also held China-ASEAN Digital Ministerial Meeting, Forum on China-Africa Digital Capacity-Building Cooperation, and China-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) Digital Technology Cooperation Forum. China has established the China-ASEAN Cybersecurity Exchange and Training Center, provided cyber security training programs for ASEAN countries for years, and strengthened cybersecurity and digital economy cooperation with Global South through the BRICS Communication Ministers Meeting and BRICS Partnership on New Industrial Revolution.
Chair,
For a small number of countries, cyberspace may be a new territory for seeking military and economic edges. However, for most countries, especially developing countries, cyberspace is more of a digital opportunity for economic and social development. China calls on all parties to help developing countries to promote their cyber and digital capabilities in an open, just and non-discriminatory manner, and strictly adhere to the principles of non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, non-discrimination, sustainability, transparency and without conditions, with a view to sharing the digital opportunities and jointly addressing risks and challenges. China would like to enhance communication and cooperation with all countries, explore paths of capacity-building and international cooperation, and make positive contribution to the peace, stability and prosperity in cyberspace.
Thank you Chair.