BEIJING, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held its 23rd group study session on the afternoon of Nov. 28. The topic was on strengthening cyberspace governance. Presiding over the session, Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, stressed that cyberspace governance is a crucial task for building China's strength in cyberspace, and has a bearing on China's development and its national security as well as on the immediate interests of the people. He called for efforts to improve long-term mechanisms for cyberspace governance, to enhance foresight, precision, systemic capacity and coordination in this regard, and to continuously cultivate a clean and sound online environment.
Shi Jianzhong, a professor from China University of Political Science and Law, gave a lecture on this topic and put forward suggestions on work in this regard. Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee listened attentively to the lecture and engaged in discussions.
Xi delivered an important speech after listening to the lecture and discussions. He pointed out that since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party has accorded high priority to cyberspace governance, continuously strengthening mainstream values, mainstream public opinion and mainstream culture on the internet, and effectively combating unhealthy online content and practices. As a result, the online ecosystem has generally been improving and becoming more positive. Our experience over these years has made us deeply understand that, to do a good job in cyberspace governance, we must uphold the Party's leadership, put the people first, break new ground while abiding by fundamental principles, uphold the rule of law, and apply systems thinking, Xi said.
Xi emphasized that cyberspace governance plays an important role in national governance. We should, under the centralized and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, develop a comprehensive framework and form a synergy for cyberspace governance, he said. Party committees and governments at all levels must strengthen their sense of political and leadership responsibilities for cyberspace regulation and governance, promptly and effectively address prominent issues, and continuously enhance their capability to understand public sentiment and carry out related work through the internet. Xi stressed the need to strengthen the guidance of online platforms, independent media creators, and multi-channel networks, and to urge them to shoulder social responsibilities and consciously serve as disseminators of positive energy.
Xi pointed out that since clean flow comes from a clean source, efforts must be made to shape cyberspace with positive voices, mainstream values, and new ethos of the era, making the internet a vital platform for ideological guidance, moral cultivation, and cultural inheritance. He noted the need to deepen online communication of the Party's new theories, promote the core socialist values, and create more online works that are meaningful, empathetic and influential. Mainstream media should play an exemplary and leading role in supplying quality online content.
Xi stressed that cyberspace governance is a systematic project, which requires the full mobilization of all parties and the integrated use of educational, administrative and legal means. It is imperative to optimize the mechanism for targeted and precise implementation of online ideological and moral education, and foster an online social mentality that features self-esteem and confidence and is rational, composed and positive. It is essential to adopt measures such as policy guidance and administrative licensing to ensure alignment between administrative oversight and industry self-regulation. Coordinated efforts should be made to advance legislation, law enforcement and administration of justice in cyberspace, as well as raising public legal awareness in this regard.
Xi noted that unhealthy online content and practices pollute social morals and harm public interests, and thus it is imperative to have the courage to take a stand and take resolute actions against them. The relevant profit and industrial chains must be cut off, and the breeding grounds and conditions for their emergence must be removed. While tackling online disorder, it is essential to identify the weak links in cyberspace governance and take targeted measures to consolidate foundations and address weaknesses.
Xi noted that the continuous emergence of new technologies and applications, such as artificial intelligence and big data, poses challenges to cyberspace governance, but at the same time provides new enabling conditions for it. He stressed the need to encourage the development of new technologies in the internet and information technology sphere, and that efforts should be made to promote the application of scientific and technological advances as well as the practical use of application scenarios. It is imperative to optimize a cyberspace safety supervision mechanism that is classified and categorized so that a solid defense line can be built for the safety of the internet and data.
Xi pointed out that cyberspace governance is a common challenge for all countries. He stressed the need for China to participate in the making of international rules in this regard, and to cooperate with other countries in cracking down on online crimes, so as to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. He emphasized the importance of advancing the building of online platforms and online capacity for international communication, so that China's voice will be spread through the internet and so will the stories about China. As a result, China's image that is credible, appealing and respectable will be exhibited online globally.■
