Initiative on jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace released

By Zhang Cong, People’s Daily

The international community should adopt more proactive, inclusive and coordinated policies that benefit all, speed up global information infrastructure construction, promote innovative development of the digital economy and enhance public service capacity, said an initiative on jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

The initiative was released by the Organizing Committee of the World Internet Conference Wednesday.

It stressed the current pandemic highlights greater prominence and urgency to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace. In the face of emerging risks and challenges, the international community must enhance solidarity and cooperation in cyberspace, and uphold fairness and justice for shared benefits of the digital economy.

The initiative includes four parts: achieving shared development, ensuring common security, realizing joint governance and enjoying benefits together. The four parts call on the international community to adopt more proactive, inclusive and coordinated policies that benefit all, speed up global information infrastructure construction, promote innovative development of the digital economy and enhance public service capacity, advocate a cybersecurity vision that features openness and cooperation, and encourage Internet development while laying equal emphasis on cybersecurity so as to jointly uphold peace and security in cyberspace, stay committed to a multilateral and multi-party approach to cyberspace governance to foster a more just and equitable governance system in cyberspace, and advocate Tech for Good with a people-centered approach, narrow the digital divide, and achieve common prosperity.

The initiative calls on all governments, international organizations, Internet companies, technical communities, social organizations and individual citizens to take the approach to global governance, which is based on extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, uphold the philosophy of “achieving shared development, ensuring common security, realizing joint governance, and enjoying benefits together”, and work together to build cyberspace into a community where we can jointly advance development, safeguard security, participate in governance, and share the benefits.

Cooperation and dialogues at global, regional, multilateral, bilateral and multi-party levels need to be promoted in a bid to jointly maintain peace and stability in cyberspace and strengthen strategic trust among countries, it said. It also opposes acts of attacks, deterrence and blackmailing in cyberspace, and stands against conducting activities that undermine other countries’ national security and public interests through the use of ICTs.

It calls to strengthen support and assistance to the vulnerable groups and advocates Tech for Good with a people-centered approach. More policies, measures and technical tools should be employed to improve digital skills of the vulnerable groups for promotion and improvement of digital literacy among the public.

Countries need to reduce barriers in market access and other fields for smooth trade channels and establish mechanisms for information sharing and mutual trust and recognition, it said. Secure and reliable digital technologies should be encouraged to facilitate cross-border trade for sharing the benefits of e-commerce.