CCTV:

My questions are, how has China achieved quite a few results in law-based cyberspace governance in less than 30 years after being connected to the internet, and can you share your experiences in this area? Thank you.

Cao Shumin:

Thank you for your questions. In China, we refine the law-based cyberspace governance as we proceed with our work. We innovate while carrying forward previous practical approaches, and have gained valuable experiences in the process. And these can be summarized as follows.

First, we have adhered to the overall leadership of the Party in this area. We have implemented the Party's requirements for governing the cyberspace and ensured that the Party's leadership is present throughout all links and all aspects of law-based cyberspace governance, ensuring that related work always advances in the correct political direction.

Second, our approach in this area has always been people-centered. The law-based cyberspace governance directly influences more than one billion internet users and concerns the total population of more than 1.4 billion. We have continued to carry out a series of special operations such as "Jingwang" (purifying the cyberspace), "Qinglang" (promoting internet civilization and pooling positive energy), and "Humiao" (protecting minors). We have increased efforts to address prominent issues that are complained about strongly by people, such as online pornography, rumors, and violence, telecom and internet fraud, algorithm abuse, and minors addicted to online games. Our goal is to create a safe, fair, healthy, civilized, and clean cyberspace for the people.

Third, we have adhered to the path of law-based internet governance with Chinese characteristics. Based on our experience regarding the development of the internet, we have promulgated basic, comprehensive, and overarching laws such as the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law, the Personal Information Protection Law, the E-commerce Law, and the Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law. Our focus has been on improving the legal rules for the digital economy, establishing a legal system for protecting internet-based rights and interests, drawing the legal red line for cybersecurity, improving the norms for cyberspace governance, and promoting various systems to become more systematic, mature, and fully formed.

Fourth, we have adhered to a sound work pattern in advancing law-based cyberspace governance. We have coordinated the relationships between development and security, freedom and order, openness and autonomy, and administration and service in an appropriate manner. We have also adhered to governing the internet according to the law while improving the online environment by promoting civic morality. We have also encouraged the development of the internet with support and better regulation, and taken a coordinated approach to the rule of law at home and in matters involving foreign parties, so as to boost the innovative development of the internet through high-quality rule of law. So far, China's internet users have reached 1.067 billion. From 2012 to 2021, the compound annual growth rate of China's digital economy reached 15.9%. It has become a main driver of our economic growth. China's Internet of Things (IoT) now connects more cellular terminals than mobile phone users. The world's largest and most advanced fiber-optic broadband and 5G networks have been built in China, forming the world's largest, most widely applied, most innovative, and most vibrant network society.

Fifth, we have continued to promote innovation in the work of law-based cyberspace governance. We have accelerated all-around innovation in the concept, content, and measures of the rule of law in cyberspace. We have created and improved the rules on new technologies and new fields, established legal rules for deep synthesis and algorithm-based recommendation, and used network information technology to empower the traditional judiciary, so as to expand the new model of 'internet plus public legal education' and give the people direct access to the government's public legal education information .

Sixth, we have made cohesive efforts in law-based cyberspace governance. We have ensured that the whole country has been involved. We have also given full play to the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of various departments, local governments, enterprises, and internet users, and we have also coordinated and promoted the rule of law in various fields, such as online content and management, cybersecurity, and information technology , so as to keep the internet develop within the confines of the law. 

The valuable experience has been an important guarantee for advancing law-based governance in all respects and building up our strength in cyberspace in the new era. Such experience must persist over a long time and be continuously enriched, improved, and developed. Thank you.