The second World Internet Conference, themed “An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by All—Building a Cyberspace Community of Shared Destiny,” was convened in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province on Dec. 16-18.

 

On Dec. 16-18, the second World Internet Conference, themed “An Interconnected World Shared and Governed by All—Building a Cyberspace Community of Shared Destiny,” was convened in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province.

In his opening address to the conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward five propositions about establishing an online community of common destiny of cyberspace and four principles of global Internet governance reform. Xi expounded upon the Chinese view of global Internet governance, which is conducive to realizing inclusive global development.

 

Concerted efforts needed
“Cyberspace is the common space of mankind. The future of cyberspace should be in the hands of all nations,” Xi said. “Countries should step up communication, broaden consensus and deepen cooperation.” That means that the rapid speed at which the Internet develops has enhanced the interconnectivity among individuals and countries, helping mankind to further realize the importance of making concerted efforts toward social progress.

In fact, since the dawn of the 21st century, two things have fundamentally altered the world. One was the Sept. 11 attacks, which profoundly transformed the whole world’s concept of security. And the War on Terror waged by the US in response also changed the international pattern in a larger sense. The threat posed to the world by the Islamic State is evidence of the fundamental shift in the global landscape.
 

The other major development of the 21st century is the explosion of the Internet and information technology, which has greatly changed people’s lives. The world has changed to such a great degree that life without the Internet, Wi-Fi, smartphones, online shopping or other various kinds of intelligent products has become nearly unimaginable.
 

However, it should be noted that the Internet is a double-edged sword, bringing progress as well as challenges. At the intersection of the two is cybersecurity, which is a high priority for many governments. The issue has become increasingly significant since the US PRISM surveillance program was uncovered.
 

Before Edward Snowden, the former contractor of US National Security Agency (NSA), leaked the details of the program, the US had continually accused China, Russia and other countries of posing a threat to global cybersecurity. But as more information was revealed about the program, people around the world begin to realize that US surveillance is the most noteworthy issue in global cybersecurity.

The event was influential in that it swayed American discourse on the Internet sector, which is called “Internet hegemony” by some scholars. And it has to be pointed out that the overly powerful discourse of America in the Internet sector is exactly part of what complicates the construction of the common destiny of cyberspace.
 

The Snowden leaks became a watershed moment in the history of cybersecurity. Before the incident, the US’s unwarranted charges and arrogance presented a major obstacle to global Internet cooperation. And since then, the international community has praised the proposal China put forward to strengthen transnational cooperation and jointly tackle the challenges. It was in such a context that Xi, for the first time, urged the fostering of “a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace” and the building of “a multilateral, democratic and transparent international Internet governance system” in his speech at the National Congress of Brazil in July last year.
 

In the second World Internet Conference, Xi noted that “infringements of individual privacy and intellectual property rights occur periodically worldwide and network surveillance, cyberattack and cyberterrorism have become global scourges.”

 

Remaining problems
If insufficient attention is paid to the lingering problems in the Internet sector, social development will be hindered.

The first problem is a lack of efficient rules and mechanisms for global communication, which has led to a disconnect between online and offline transnational communication.

The second problem is related to the North-South disparity. Due to weak ability in developing and researching the Internet technology or the passive position in accepting the services provided by developed countries and their enterprises, a large number of developing countries have been bogged down by limitations of technology, standards and other industrial confinement from developed countries.

The third problem is the urgency to enhance the ability to govern cyberspace. Many countries and their local governments, due to a lack of awareness for cyberspace governance from global perspectives, have failed to seize the opportunity to comprehensively enhance managerial competence and to lower administrative costs, let alone to take full use of the convenience the Internet offers for international communication. 
 

The fourth problem is emerging cybersecurity issues. The high premium that China and the US place on cybersecurity is in sharp contrast with some other countries’ negligence and impotence in this sector, which creates a space for online crime and terrorism to thrive. Moreover, the distrust between great powers in the virtual world, also a reflection of their lack of trust in the real world, constitutes the barrier that hinders global cybersecurity.
 

To sum up, the building of a cyberspace community of shared destiny is a historical opportunity that will alter the way the members of international society interact with each other. It will produce an effect that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, which, with its subtle influence in the way countries communicate with each other, will profoundly impact international relations.

 

Zhang Guoqing is from the Institute of American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.