We need to censor the internet, says Xi

“Cyberspace shouldn’t be a battlefield”, Xi said.

Despite Xi’s apparent pride in China’s homegrown “sovereign” Internet, conference attendees were treated to an uncensored global Web and state media broadcast of Xi’s remarks on Twitter and YouTube.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) talks with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (R) as China’s Internet czar Lu Wei looks on in this September 23, 2015 photo.

China has been criticised for imposing strict controls in cyberspace and banning several social media sites as well as an array of news portals. Wearing a red tie and neutral expression, Xi called for more “freedom” online, disregarding the fact that his administration oversees perhaps the world’s most sophisticated Internet censorship apparatus. “While respecting internet users’ rights to exchange ideas and express their views, efforts should be made to build a sound cyberspace order under the law so as to protect the legitimate rights and interests of all internet users”.

China applies Rule of Law to the Internet with the enacting of new laws and regulations regarding cyber security and other Internet areas.

Since Xi took China’s helm in early 2013, he has presided over a centralization of domestic Internet governance and broader efforts to control, and often censor, the flow of information online, experts say.

Others, including press freedom advocacy group Reporters Without Borders and China censorship watchdog GreatFire.org, called for a boycott of China’s World Internet Conference.

“We should respect the right of individual countries to independently choose their own path of cyber development and model of cyber regulation and participate in global cyberspace governance on an equal footing”, Xinhua cited Xi as saying. Pakistani President Mamnoon Hussain and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, as well as political leaders from the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were all expected to attend.

China has almost 700 million internet users – twice the population of the entire United States.

“After the [exposure] of the US National Security Agency’s PRISM program, more countries have woken up to the fact that “absolute Internet freedom” touted by the US will only end up as “absolute security” in Washington and “absolute insecurity” for the rest”, it said.

Since nations differ in size in cyberspace as in real world, the principle of sovereign equality must be upheld as a prerequisite for governance reforms and cooperation.

The government’s move to better regulate China’s cyberspace has had wide support from Internet companies.

But, few tech companies and Internet businesses can afford to ignore the burgeoning market in China.

“As long as you obey the Chinese law, we warmly welcome enterprises and entrepreneurs from every other country to invest in China”, he said. The internet goals for China advocate and set to achieve; “mutual respect and trust”, “development and progress of a global Internet governance system”, “promote commerce”, and to create a “healthy cyberspace” for all.