Highlights of Xi's Internet speech

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second World Internet Conference in Wuzhen Town, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 16, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

WUZHEN, Zhejiang - Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out his vision for the future of the Internet while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Second World Internet Conference (WIC2015) on Wednesday.

Xi, as the leader of the country with the world's largest number of Internet users, discussed a host of issues ranging from cyber security to global Internet governance.

Following are some highlights:

ON CYBER SECURITY

- Cyber surveillance, cyber attacks and cyber terrorism have become a global scourge.

- Cyberspace should not become a battlefield for countries to wrestle with one another, nor should it become a hotbed for crime.

- Double standards should not be allowed in upholding cyber security.

- We cannot just have the security of one or some countries while leaving the rest insecure, and countries should not seek the so-called absolute security of itself at the expense of the security of others.

- All countries should work together to contain the abuse of information technology, oppose cyber surveillance and cyber attacks and reject a cyberspace arms race.

ON CYBER SOVEREIGNTY

- The principle of sovereign equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations is one of the basic norms in contemporary international relations. It covers all aspects of state-to-state relations, which also includes cyberspace.

- 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 international cyberspace governance on an equal footing.

ON CYBER GOVERNANCE

- The existing rules governing cyberspace hardly reflect the desires and interests of the majority of countries.

- There should be no unilateralism [in building an Internet governance system]. Decisions should not be made with one party calling the shots or only a few parties discussing among themselves.

- Freedom and order are both necessary in cyberspace.

- Cyberspace is not "a place beyond the rule of law".

ON CHINA'S OPENING UP

- The robust growth of China's Internet has provided a big market for enterprises and startups of all countries. China's open doors will never close. Our policy towards foreign investment will not change.