Full Text: White paper on the Internet in China

VI. Active International Exchanges and Cooperation

Though connected, the Internet of various countries belongs to different sovereignties, which makes it necessary to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation in this field. China maintains that all countries should, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, actively conduct exchanges and cooperation in the Internet industry, jointly shoulder the responsibility of maintaining global Internet security, promote the healthy and orderly development of the industry, and share the opportunities and achievements brought about by this development.

The Chinese government has always supported and conducted international exchanges and cooperation in the field of the Internet. Representatives have been sent to all previous sessions of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) and other important international and regional meetings related to the Internet. It attaches great importance to regional cooperation in maintaining Internet security. In 2009 China signed the ASEAN-China Coordination Framework for Network and Information Security Emergency Responses and the Agreement among the Governments of the SCO Member States on Cooperation in the Field of Ensuring International Information Security with the ASEAN and SCO member states, respectively. In combating network crimes the Chinese public security organ has participated in the Interpol Asia-South Pacific Working Party on IT Crime, China-US Joint Liaison Group and other forms of international cooperation, and has conducted bilateral and multilateral meetings successively with such countries or regions as the US, the UK, Germany, Italy and Hong Kong. Since 2006 the Chinese public security organs have handled more than 500 letters of assistance in case handling from more than 40 countries and regions concerning network crimes, which cover many types of cases, including hacker attacks, child pornography and network fraud. China actively promotes the establishment of bilateral dialogue and exchange mechanisms in the field of the Internet. Since 2007 it has held meetings of the US-China Internet Industry Forum and the Sino-British Internet Round Table with the US and the UK, respectively. In order to draw on the experience of other countries in developing and administering the Internet industry, the Chinese government has organized dozens of delegations since 2000 to pay visits to more than 40 countries in Asia, Europe, North America, South America and Africa, and has applied some of their successful experiences to its own Internet development and administration.

China holds that the role of the UN should be given full scope in international Internet administration. China supports the establishment of an authoritative and just international Internet administration organization under the UN system through democratic procedures on a worldwide scale. The fundamental resources of the Internet are vitally connected to the development and security of the Internet industry. China maintains that all countries have equal rights in participating in the administration of the fundamental international resources of the Internet, and a multilateral and transparent allocation system should be established on the basis of the current management mode, so as to allocate those resources in a rational way and to promote the balanced development of the global Internet industry.

All countries should conduct multi-form, multi-channel and multi-level exchanges and cooperation in this regard on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. Their governments can establish bilateral exchange mechanisms, exchange views, experiences and practices on matters such as the policies, legislation and security of the Internet industry, and settle differences through consultations on an equal footing. The governments of all countries should support the Internet industry in holding international exchange activities, encourage its efforts to expand consensus through exchanges, and resolve problems facing the Internet industry with joint efforts. The development of the Internet industry brings with it a series of new scientific and moral problems. Experts and scholars of various countries should be encouraged to conduct academic exchanges and share their research findings. In the face of the increasingly serious problem of transnational network crimes, the law-enforcement agencies of all countries should enhance their coordination in preventing and combating network crimes, and establish multilateral or bilateral cooperation mechanisms.

China would like to share with other countries the opportunities brought by the development of the Chinese Internet industry. It will unswervingly stick to its opening-up policy, open the Chinese Internet market in accordance with the law, welcome enterprises from other countries to enter the Chinese Internet market in accordance with the Provisions on the Administration of Foreign-funded Telecommunication Enterprises and share the opportunities brought by the development of the Internet in China. China abides by the general obligations and any specific commitment as a WTO member, protects the legitimate rights and interests of foreign enterprises in China, and provides proper services to those enterprises in their legal business operations concerning the Internet.