China.org.cn | September 6, 2022
Speakers:
Niu Yibing, deputy director of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, vice minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and spokesperson of the CAC
Yang Shuzhen, director general of the Policy Research Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Zhang Yongjun, director general of the Comprehensive Cyberspace Governance Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Sun Weimin, director general of the Cybersecurity Coordination Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Wang Song, director general of the Informatization Development Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Qi Xiaoxia, director general of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Zhang Yong, senior official of the Cyber Communication Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission
Chairperson:
Shou Xiaoli, spokesperson of the Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC)
Date:
Aug. 19, 2022
Shou Xiaoli:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference held by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. Today, we are holding the 22nd press conference under the theme of "China in the past decade." We have invited Mr. Niu Yibing, deputy director of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, vice minister and spokesperson of the CAC, to brief you on the achievements in building China's strength in cyberspace in the new era and take your questions. Also joining us today are Mr. Yang Shuzhen, director general of the Policy Research Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; Mr. Zhang Yongjun, director general of the Comprehensive Cyberspace Governance Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; Ms. Sun Weimin, director general of the Cybersecurity Coordination Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; Mr. Wang Song, director general of the Informatization Development Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; Ms. Qi Xiaoxia, director general of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; and Mr. Zhang Yong, senior official of the Cyber Communication Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission.
Now, let's give the floor to Mr. Niu for his introduction.
Niu Yibing:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the press, good morning. It's a great pleasure to attend this press conference under the theme of "China in the past decade." Thank you for your long-standing interest in and support for the work on cybersecurity and information technology application. Now, my colleagues and I will brief you on the achievements in building China's strength in cyberspace in the new era and take your questions.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has actively followed the development trend of the information revolution, coordinated the work on cybersecurity and information technology application with great attention, and realized historic achievements and transformations in this field. General Secretary Xi Jinping has charted the course and put forward a series of groundbreaking new ideas, visions and strategies, thus forming the important thought on building China's strength in cyberspace with rich and sophisticated connotations. Under the guidance of the thought, China, a country with an extensive cyber presence, is making big strides toward becoming a leader in cyberspace. This progress is reflected in the following 10 aspects.
First, the Party's centralized and unified leadership on cyber-related work has been enhanced. The CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has taken the Party's leadership on cyber-related work as an essential political principle, reformed and improved the leadership for internet management, and established the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission. Provincial, prefectural and municipal Party committees across the country have set up cyberspace affairs commissions, thus forming a three-level system for work on cyberspace affairs. Relevant documents have been issued, including opinions on strengthening cybersecurity and information technology application and the 14th five-year plan for cyberspace administration, to better implement the systems of responsibility for ideological work and cybersecurity, and ensure the Party's leadership on cyber-related work.
Second, mainstream values and positive energy have become more dominant in cyberspace. We have publicized the Party's innovation theory, promoted the spread of positive energy, organized publicity activities on major themes, and strengthened and improved international communication in cyberspace. We have carried out over 100 themed publicity activities each year with various highlights and held "China's positive energy" and "Five 100" presentations of excellent publicity works to boost the prevalence of positive energy in cyberspace. We have improved the online risk prevention mechanism to ensure ideological and political security in cyberspace.
Third, the system for integrated internet management has been improved. We have issued opinions on accelerating the establishment of a system for integrated internet management to promote preemptive and coordinated cyberspace governance. Since the launch of the "Clear and Bright" campaign, we have carried out more than 30 campaigns to address prominent issues such as undesirable fan culture, problems regarding internet accounts and online abuse, removing over 20 billion illegal and unhealthy pieces of information and nearly 1.4 billion accounts. We have issued opinions on improving ethical standards and advancing civility in cyberspace, launched the China Internet Civilization Conference, encouraged good netizenship, strengthened integrity in cyberspace, and worked to ensure a clean and healthy cyberspace.
Fourth, the building of cyber infrastructure has accelerated. China tops the world in the number of internet users and country code top-level domains. The country ranks second in the overall level of internet development. From 2012 to 2021, the number of internet users in China grew from 564 million to over 1.03 billion, and internet coverage rate increased from 42.1% to 73%. We have built the world's largest 5G and fiber optic networks with around 1.85 million 5G base stations and 455 million 5G mobile users. Fiber optic networks have been established in almost all prefecture-level cities, and all administrative villages and villages that have been lifted out of poverty have now been connected to broadband. Notable progress has been made in the deployment of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)-based network, and China has the world's second largest number of IPv6 addresses. The country is stepping up its development of high-speed, ubiquitous, intelligent, convenient, green, low-carbon, secure and controllable information infrastructure with an integrated space-ground network and integrated interconnection.
Fifth, the digital economy has been gaining momentum. China has ranked second for several years in the market size of its digital economy, which increased from 11 trillion yuan in 2012 to 45.5 trillion yuan in 2021. The digital economy as a share of its GDP grew from 21.6% to 39.8%. The country's scale of e-commerce and mobile payment transactions are the largest in the world. The foundation for the development of digital industries has become more solid and the digitalization of traditional industries has been accelerated. In addition, we have held the Digital China Summit for five consecutive years.
Sixth, breakthroughs have been made in innovation in core information technologies. China has maintained its advantages in high performance computing, achieved leadership in 5G technology, industry and applications, and constructed the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System global network. The country has improved its chip development capabilities and the performance of domestic computer operating systems, and made positive progress in research on big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain. In 2021, China filed over 30,000 patent applications in the cyber and information sector via the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), accounting for more than one-third of the global total.
Seventh, outstanding achievements have been made in using information to benefit the people and make their lives more convenient. Information-related services have been expanded, with internet-aided education and medical services further promoted. Great outcomes have been achieved in the fight against the pandemic through digital technologies. The campaigns to build digital government and digital villages have been accelerated. Over 1 billion people have signed up to China's integrated administrative affairs service platform, which enables people to handle such affairs entirely online and are not restricted by their location.
Eighth, we have strengthened the cybersecurity system and our capabilities in this regard. We have built and improved the cybersecurity protection system, enhanced protection of key information infrastructure, and strengthened data security management and personal information protection. The cybersecurity review has been carried out in an orderly manner. We have developed the academic discipline and talents regarding cybersecurity. The China Cybersecurity Week has been held for eight years in a row. We are also committed to the idea of cybersecurity for the people and by the people, significantly increasing society's awareness and capacities in protecting cybersecurity.
Ninth, we have expedited our efforts to promote the rule of law in cyberspace. We have promoted the promulgation of over 100 related law and rules, including the Cybersecurity Law, Data Security Law, and Personal Information Protection Law. The Cyberspace Law Enforcement and Supervision Bureau has been set up to strengthen enforcement in cyberspace. Violations of laws and regulations have been rigorously dealt with. In the first half of this year, we summoned 3,491 websites and platforms for regulatory talks in accordance with the law, punished and fined 283 websites, suspended the operation or update of 419 websites, and taken down 177 mobile applications. Working along with telecommunication authorities, we have also dealt with 12,292 illegal websites, either canceling their permits or records, or shutting them down. In July, we imposed a fine of 8.206 billion yuan on Didi Global Inc, based on the findings of the company's violations of laws and rules.
Tenth, international cooperation regarding cyberspace has expanded. We have held the World Internet Conference (WIC) for eight years straight, set up a WIC-related international organization, and put forward a concept paper and initiative for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. The cyberspace governance ideas and suggestions proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping are gradually becoming international consensus.
In the new era, we will follow General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thought on building China's strength in cyberspace, and march forward with bravery to write a new chapter in the great cause of cyberspace work in order to provide strong services, support, and guarantee for achieving the second centenary goal. Thank you all.
