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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Opinion -> 
Cybersecurity a top concern
    2016-11-28  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

    Winton Dong

    dht620@sina.com

    THE third annual World Internet Conference was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province between Nov. 16 and 18. The international gathering in the ancient Chinese town attracted more than 1,600 participants from 110 countries and regions.

    President Xi Jinping, who addressed the opening ceremony of the meeting via video link on Nov. 16, called for all nations to have independence in managing their own Internet industry and equality in global cyberspace governance.

    Such a speech reveals that Chinese leaders have come to realize the importance of cyberspace security and put it on their top agendas. According to Edward Snowden, a former computer engineer at the CIA who has fled to Russia, U.S. intelligence agencies have been invading the Chinese Internet system for more than a decade with the assistance of influential American high-tech companies. During the past years, these U.S. companies have taken part in many Chinese infrastructure projects in fields such as finance, railway, aviation, medicine, post and customs. They are even deeply involved in the basic network construction of some Chinese telecom operators.

    The Internet industry cannot be a lawless zone. Nevertheless, for a long time, China has no rule to abide by when online security problems arise. In order to uphold its cyberspace sovereignty, public interest and citizens’ legitimate rights, the country unveiled its first Cybersecurity Law on Nov. 7, 2016. The law states that online products and services, no matter domestic or foreign made, that could form key Internet infrastructure or affect state security, must pass a government review to enter the Chinese market.

    A proper government review beforehand is of special significance in the Internet era since China is now the biggest online country with more than 710 million netizens and also a major target of online attacks. For instance, with so many people trawling the Internet using cellular phones, terrorist organizations are no longer mad men hiding in mountain caves. They can quickly spread illegal information, as well as recruit, train and organize attacks using social media platforms and handheld devices, making it more difficult for the government to track the traces of wrongdoers.

    However, the new law will, by no means, become a trade barrier to block foreign Web products and services. “All 79 articles in the Cybersecurity Law, which will come into effect on June 1, 2017, are fully in accordance with international trade rules,” said Zhao Zeliang, director of cybersecurity of the Cyberspace Administration of China when being interviewed recently.

    As we all know, Internet-based technology is playing a more and more important role in driving China’s economic development. According to statistics, the size of the country’s digital economy reached 18.6 trillion yuan (US$2.7 trillion) in 2015, second only to that of the United States. And being open and cooperative is the only way for China to further strengthen its Internet economy. With such a philosophy in mind, the Chinese Government will attach great importance to international cooperation and sincerely welcome foreign companies and investors who are willing to develop new products and services in the country as long as they abide by local laws.

    

    Despite the fact that the unveiling of China’s first Cybersecurity Law is a practical step forward, it is just a set of basic principles and a legal framework with 79 articles. Specific and detailed rules should be added, updated or adjusted in the future when new problems are met.

    Moreover, cyberspace threats are a challenge not only for China, but also for every other country. So it needs the whole world to join hands to overcome the difficulties. In my point of view, better Internet governance is not an easy target to achieve. And it is even a more complicated issue for lawmakers to strike a balance between cyberspace security and Internet development. Many people, especially foreign investors, show great concerns and worries about the new law and government supervision. In this regard, judicial efficiency, transparency, reliability and credibility of the law should be evaluated by the quality of openness instead of the quantity of how much content we have disclosed to the public.

    (The author is the editor-in-chief of the Shenzhen Daily and guest professor of Shenzhen University with a Ph.D. from the Journalism and Communication School of Wuhan University.)

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