Ren urges consensus and innovation for cyberspace progress

An article by Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the World Internet Conference, entitled "Building Consensus and Fostering Innovation to Advance the Building of a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace to a New Stage", was published in the 152th Issue of Foreign Affairs Journal Summer 2024. The full text is as follows:

Building Consensus and Fostering Innovation to Advance the Building of a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace to a New Stage

By Ren Xianliang

Source: Foreign Affairs Journal

At present, with the rapid development and widespread application of the internet, the world is increasingly becoming an interconnected community with a shared future. It is the shared responsibility of the international community to improve the development, use and governance of the internet to ensure it benefits humanity. Building a community with a shared future in cyberspace is a common aspiration of the international community. On November 8, 2023, President Xi Jinping, in his video address to the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit, called for deepening exchanges and practical cooperation to jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage, injecting strong, positive energy for countries to work together in this endeavor.The WIC has always adhered to the mission of "Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace", and is dedicated to gathering wisdom and consensus from all parties and establishing a platform for international exchanges and cooperation in cyberspace. It has continuously deepened global cooperation in the digital field, and actively facilitated the translation of this innovative concept into a widely accepted initiative and active involvement in the international community, in order to contribute to the building of a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace.

01

Addressing the Challenges of the Times: Building a More Inclusive, Prosperous, Peaceful, Secure, and Equitable Cyberspace

On December 16, 2015, at the second WIC Wuzhen Summit, President Xi Jinping proposed four principles for promoting the reform of the global internet governance system and five proposals for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. These principles and proposals, made from the strategic height of humanity's future and common welfare in the information age, aligned with the tide of digital advancement and addressed the risks and challenges presented by global internet development. The vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace, which reflects the common call of the international community and demonstrates China’s active role as a major country, has contributed Chinese wisdom and solutions to global internet governance and garnered widespread international recognition and positive responses. Since then, President Xi Jinping has elaborated on the vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace on multiple occasions, making this important concept deeply rooted in people's minds.On November 8, 2023, the WIC celebrated the 10th year of the Wuzhen Summit. In his video address at the opening ceremony, President Xi Jinping made "three advocacies" from the dimensions of development, security and civilization. He emphasized "deepening exchanges and practical cooperation to jointly advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage," further enriching and developing the concept of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. This provides a guideline for action and a clear direction for all countries to strengthen cooperation and jointly build a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace.Advocating prioritizing development and building a more inclusive and prosperous cyberspace. The world is currently in a golden age of rapid internet development, with the internet increasingly integrating into economic and social development. The foundational role of internet infrastructure in supporting digital economic development is becoming more prominent. However, disparities in internet penetration, infrastructure construction, security risk prevention and digital skills acquisition across different countries and regions lead to the "digital divide," which hinders and constrains the informatization and digital transformation of countries, especially developing ones. Therefore, it is imperative to prioritize development, accelerate the empowerment of economic growth through the internet, promote the integration of the digital economy with real economy, and drive global development with new momentum, allowing more countries and people to share the benefits of internet development.Advocating shared security and peace to build a more peaceful and secure cyberspace. A secure, stable, and prosperous cyberspace is of great significance to the world as a whole. The development and governance of the internet should prioritize the security of human life and its sustainability, ensuring that cyberspace does not become a "battlefield" for countries to wrestle with each other or a "breeding ground" for illegal activities. Therefore, it is essential to respect cyber sovereignty and the development paths and governance models of different countries in cyberspace, oppose cyber hegemony, and refrain from engaging in confrontational cyber alliances or arms races. It is crucial to address the legitimate security concerns of all countries and not sacrifice the security of other nations in the pursuit of one's own so-called absolute security. Efforts should be made to combat cybercrime and cyber terrorism, and to appropriately address and effectively resolve the risks and challenges brought by advancements in internet-related information technology.Advocating cultural exchanges and mutual learning to build a more equitable and inclusive cyberspace. Civilizations thrive on diversity and grow through exchanges and mutual learning. The internet, bridging time and space, provides a more convenient channel for cultural exchanges and mutual learning, opening up a new space for exchanges and mutual learning between human civilizations. Building a more equal and inclusive cyberspace means eliminating conflicts, opposition, barriers, and prejudices. It is a vivid practice of the Global Civilization Initiative in the field of the internet. This requires countries to build bridges of international communication via the internet, expand exchanges in culture, art, education, technology, media, and think tanks, advance building of civilized and well-regulated cyberspace, enhance online exchanges and dialogues, and promote the prosperity of cyber culture, to foster closer bonds and mutual understanding between people through cultural exchanges and mutual learning.

02

Building a Top-tier International Organization to Promote Global Consensus on a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace

In 2014, the first World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit was held in China, marking the largest and most prestigious internet conference hosted by China, as well as a groundbreaking summit in the global internet domain. Since then, at the turn of autumn and winter of each year, government officials and internet professionals from around the world gather at the permanent venue of Wuzhen to continuously deepen global cooperation in the digital domain, with the concept of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace increasingly embraced by the international community.

On July 12, 2022, the WIC officially declared itself an international organization. President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter, profoundly elaborating on the significance of establishing the WIC as an international organization and outlining a strategic blueprint for the future development of the organization. Inspired by the congratulatory letter, the WIC actively responded to the strong aspirations of people around the world to collectively safeguard the peaceful development of cyberspace, participate in cyberspace governance, and jointly create a better future for global cyberspace. The organization is committed to taking on the following new historical missions: First, in terms of enhancing conceptual consensus, the WIC will uphold openness and inclusiveness to better promote international consensus and resolve differences, with focus on new challenges and issues in cyberspace. Second, in terms of the development of the digital economy, the organization will leverage the role of the digital economy as a catalyst for economic and social development and make it a significant driving force behind global digital transformation and empowerment. Third, in terms of digital technology innovation, the WIC will strengthen international collaboration in digital technology innovation, nurture more innovative outcomes, and advance human technological progress. Four, in terms of cultural exchanges, the organization will promote cooperation among online media, enhance online cultural development, foster mutual learning among civilizations, improve public digital literacy, and promote the healthy development of the online cultural industry. Five, in terms of regulation formulation, the WIC will continuously advance global internet governance, and facilitate discussions and exchanges among global member companies, research institutions, universities, and others on governance rules and technical standards. Six, in terms of dialogues and cooperation, the WIC will play its due role as a platform for communication and cooperation among governments, international organizations, multinational corporations, and technical communities.Continuously advancing the vision of “Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”. In 2019, the WIC released the Concept Paper of “Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," comprehensively elaborating on the concept and calling for international cooperation. In 2020, the WIC issued the "Initiative on Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," further translating the concept into concrete actions. The inaugural ceremony of the Release and Presentation of Outstanding Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace took place in 2021, showcasing the strong innovative vitality in the global internet sector. The WIC has been instrumental in transforming the concept from a shared idea to concrete practice, providing Chinese wisdom and solutions to global internet development.Establishing a high-end platform for international exchanges and cooperation in cyberspace. Over the years, the WIC has been committed to building an international platform for connectivity between China and the world and a Chinese platform for shared benefits and governance of the global internet. It attracts representatives from government departments, international organizations, leading internet companies, industry associations, and academic institutions from over 100 countries and regions to discuss key issues of global internet development. More than 140 internet-related institutions, organizations, companies, and individuals from nearly 30 countries across six continents have joined the WIC organization membership. As participants, promoters, leaders, and contributors to global internet development, they play a crucial role in facilitating exchanges and cooperation on the platform of the WIC. The "Global Youth Leadership Program," established in 2023, is a regular event of the WIC organization, which selects outstanding young individuals in the internet field from around the world and creates an international platform for mutual learning and cooperation among young people.Expanding international cooperation on the digital economy to promote global development. "The Light of Internet Expo", which has been held for several consecutive years at the WIC Wuzhen Summit, serves as a showcase for global digital technologies and a high-end platform for industry cooperation in the digital economy. By exploring new technologies, models, and business forms of the internet development, the expo promotes global cooperation in internet-related projects, technologies, talents, and capital. The “Straight to Wuzhen” Global Internet Competition drives precise connectivity in the global internet industry and contributes to the flourishing global digital economy by identifying emerging opportunities and nurturing nascent initiatives. In February 2024, the WIC held a forum themed on computing power network in Spain, inviting representatives from government, industry, academia, research, and application sectors to share the latest developments in computing power and explore opportunities for its development, thereby reinforcing the "computing power foundation" that supports the digital transformation of the economy and society. On April 16, the WIC hosted the Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Xi'an, the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, with focus on the "Digital Silk Road of the 21st Century". Guests from nearly 50 countries and regions held discussions on building new pathways for the Digital Silk Road, gradually narrowing the digital divide between countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and creating new opportunities for international economic cooperation.Actively promoting global cyberspace governance. Following the establishment of the WIC organization, the WIC has been actively advancing research on key topics in such areas as artificial intelligence, data development and governance, and cross-border e-commerce, keeping abreast of new global regulatory trends in these fields and engaging in relevant international agendas. In collaboration with 15 entities from around the world, the WIC submitted proposals to the United Nations Office of the Tech Envoy regarding the "Global Digital Compact." Besides, the WIC launched a global call for AI public welfare projects and announced the "World Internet Conference AI for Social Good Action Plan (2023-2025)," urging all parties to promote positive development of digital technology for social good and to bring more benefits to countries and regions at different development levels. From the "Charm of Science and Technology" that showcases cutting-edge technological achievements and the Blue Book for the WIC that presents Chinese and global internet development trends, to the "2024 World Internet Conference Collection of Cross-Border E-Commerce Practice cases" that promotes healthy development of global cross-border e-commerce, the WIC has seen remarkable achievements, and continuously advanced global internet development and governance.Striving to promote global cultural exchange and mutual learning. President Xi emphasized that "We must introduce Chinese culture abroad, advocating common values, sharing our ideas, and increasing mutual understanding, to let the world know more about our culture and how it embodies Chinese spirit and wisdom." The world has ushered in the digital era, where artificial intelligence (AI) continuously breaks conventional cognition and brings risks and challenges in data privacy, security threats and social ethics. In June 2023, the WIC hosted the Nishan Dialogue on Digital Civilization, themed on "The Age of AI: Building a Digital World of Exchanges, Mutual Learning, and Inclusiveness". The event invited guests from various fields to explore how to use humanity's "toolbox" to address the "technological variables" of AI, and encouraged all parties to better explore the value of history and culture in the digital age, strengthen international people-to-people exchanges and cooperation, in a bid to pave new pathways for AI technology development, and jointly promote the progress of human civilization.

03

Striving for New Achievements and Opening a New Chapter in the Building of a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace

Amid the surging tide of the information revolution era, cyberspace carries humanity's boundless aspirations for a better future. The "three advocacies" proposed by President Xi Jinping have expanded the domain of cyberspace governance from national cyberspace governance to global cyberspace governance, and have provided new guidelines for global internet development and the advancement of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage. Facing the opportunities and challenges brought by digitalization, the WIC, based on its duties and missions, will better leverage its role as platform, promote global digital innovation, gather consensus on digital development and governance, and open a new landscape of international cooperation in cyberspace, striving to bring the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage.

Pooling strengths to build a new platform for international exchange and cooperation in cyberspace. The WIC, as an international organization, will leverage its global platform and membership advantages to establish an international exchange and cooperation system featuring multi-level coordination, multi-platform support and multiple participants. Efforts will be made to innovate meeting formats, improve meeting mechanisms, ensure the successful holding of the annual meetings of the WIC Organization, develop regional and vertical brand forums and deepen international cooperation in the digital economy. Additionally, the WIC will play an active role in the building of an international exchange and cooperation platform on mutual learning for young people, continue to host the presentation event of Practice Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, and further consolidate international consensus, striving to make greater contributions to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace.Promoting common prosperity and advancing global sharing of new internet technological achievements. The building of an open, fair and equal environment for digital development, as well as an inclusive, universal and resilient digital world is a key focus for bringing the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage. The WIC will consistently focus on empowering the development of the real economy through digital technology, and deepening dialogue and exchanges in such areas as the digital economy and technological innovation, targeting emerging markets, countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and developing countries. It will actively promote international cooperation in digital infrastructure construction, organize international dialogue and exchange activities around cutting-edge topics such as 5G, IPv6, cloud computing and AI, and advance global access to digital infrastructure. It will also provide training and public welfare projects aimed at enhancing digital literacy and skills in developing countries in a bid to bridge the digital divide. Additionally, the WIC will promote the integration of the digital economy with the real economy, accelerating the digital transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, leading frontier technological innovations, advocating for technological exchange and cooperation, and narrowing the global digital divide, ensuring that the benefits of internet development to reach people in all countries.Sharing collective responsibility to develop a new order for global cyberspace governance. Global digital governance should follow the principles of upholding multilateralism, balancing security and development and championing fairness and justice, while firmly opposing "decoupling" and "building small blocs". The WIC will advance the vision of global governance featuring extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits, and actively participate in digital cooperation within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the Group of 20, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Relying on the strength of member partners, research institutes, higher-educational institutions and other think tanks, the WIC will focus on the latest and trending topics in the global digital world to conduct joint research before publishing its results. It will play active part in forging global digital rules, further consolidate international consensus, and explore the construction of a more equal, reasonable, open, inclusive, secure, stable and vibrant cyberspace.Advocating orderly development and striving to provide new solutions to maintain peace and security in cyberspace. Cybersecurity is a global issue and no country can stand or act alone in this regard. Maintaining cybersecurity is the common responsibility of the international community. Anchored by the values of openness and collaboration for cybersecurity, the WIC will expand cyberspace cooperation with partners to enhance the security of information infrastructure, strengthen personal information protection, and reinforce data security management. No abuse of information technology will go unchecked. There is no room for surveillance, attacks as well as arms race in cyberspace. All cybercrimes and cyber terrorism will be dealt a harsh blow by the global community, and international cyberspace rules accepted by all parties will take shape for the benefit of a safe and secure cyberspace.Enhancing exchanges and mutual learning to contribute new wisdom to cultural exchanges in cyberspace. The vision of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace draws from the Chinese wisdom that "all under heaven are of one family" and "the world is in great harmony". At the core of the vision is a deep care for the common destiny and well-being of mankind. By extending the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind to cyberspace, it represents the wisdom and responsibility of the Chinese civilization in the information age. The WIC advocates for respecting the diversity of cultures in cyberspace and makes efforts to promote cultural exchanges and mutual learning among countries, regions, and ethnic groups to enhance inclusive coexistence among different civilizations. The WIC calls for solidarity and cooperation among governments, self-discipline within industry organizations and enterprises, as well as literacy improvement in individuals. With a well-governed cyber ecosystem featuring a sound cyber order in place, outstanding human civilization will take root, flourish and nourish the cyberspace in the future. 

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