Information and cyber security are hotly-debated issues on the international agenda. They are strategic and cutting-edge issues that touch upon many areas. The fast growth of the information and communication technology (ICT) has exerted profound impacts on all aspects of social and economic life of mankind, and offered brand new digital opportunities for the advancement of human civilization. But at the same time, it has also brought unprecedented challenges. Cyber crime and terrorism have been on the rise. The massive-scale surveillance activities by an individual country have severely infringed on other countries' sovereignty and their citizen's privacy. Cyber attacks and militarized tendency in cyber space can diminish international security and mutual trust. All these issues needs to be coped with.
Cyber space is a new frontier. The international community has a shared responsibility to maintain security, stability and prosperity in cyber space. To this end, we need to uphold the following principles: First, the principle of peace. Cyber space is one of connectivity. Countries are bound by intertwined interests, have high stakes in each other and form a community of common destiny in cyber space.We should discard the zero-sum mentality and Cold War ideology, and foster a new concept of security featuring mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality and coordination. We should seek our own security through common security and on the basis of full respect for other countries' security, and ward off militarized tendency and arms race in cyber space.
Second, the principle of sovereignty. Based on the basic norms governing international relations that are anchored in the UN Charter, the principle of state sovereignty applies also to cyber space. States own jurisdiction over the ICT infrastructure and activities within their territories; national governments are entitled to making public policies for the Internet based on their national conditions; no country shall use the Internet to interfere in other countries' internal affairs or undermine other countries' interests. We oppose the double standards on the cyber issue, drawn lines out of its selfish interests and concocted "regulations" only applicable to other countries. We are also against such acts of behaving wantonly while making groundless accusations against or defamed other countries.Third, the principle of co-governance. As the Internet is open to everyone, it needs to be built and managed by all. The international community should work together to build a global Internet governance system that is fair and equitable. We need to regulate the behavior of the parties with a behavior norm accepted by all the countries so as to keep the internet in order.We need to actively explore new international norms that accord with features of cyber space. We may take a gradual approach and address easier issues first before moving to difficult ones.