On the First Anniversary of President Xi Jinping's April 19 Speech

Zheng Bijian

April 19 2016 saw the convening of the national conference on cyber-security and informatization work. President Xi Jinping presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech. Calling for the development of the Internet and information technology applications with the people at the center, the speech systematically expounded a series of major issues encompassing the following: creating a sound cyber environment and developing breakthrough technologies; properly balancing development of the Internet and cyber-security; heightening the sense of mission and responsibility among Internet enterprises; and strengthening personnel support for Internet industries. Therefore, the speech constitutes a landmark document guiding the national endeavors to develop the Internet and information technology applications and turn China into an Internet powerhouse.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of President Xi’s April 19 speech, I would like to examine its profound practical importance by reviewing the rapid development of the Internet worldwide and predicting its future trends and also by looking at the range of emerging complex issues concerning the development of the Internet and information technology applications.

The Internet and Informatization: The People’s Cause

We are living in an era in which the information revolution continues apace. To correctly understand our times is essential for healthy development of the Internet in China. At the April 19 conference, President Xi clearly pointed out, “In order to develop the Internet and information technology applications, we must adhere to the principle of putting the people at the center.” In essence, this endeavor belongs to the people and is for the people.

The Internet not only represents a profound scientific and technological revolution but also symbolizes a new awakening of the human civilization and its advancement to a new era. With a broad worldview and vision and political acumen, President Xi said, “From the viewpoint of social development, humanity has experienced the agricultural and industrial revolutions in the past and is now in the midst of the information revolution.” Over the past 20 years and more since China was connected to the World Wide Web, the new platform and space has touched the lives of 700 million Chinese people, and has changed the way we live, work, and communicate to the outside world. At the same time, the Internet has brought about enormous economic, political, military, and cultural progress to China. These epoch-making changes eloquently show that the Chinese people have embraced and are embracing the historic opportunities of the information revolution, although they had missed the opportunities of the Industrial Revolution in modern history.

President Xi pointed out, “A clean, wholesome cyberspace is in the best interests of the people, whilst a deteriorating, hostile cyber space is the least so.” As the ruling party, the CPC must have a clear understanding of this and respond to this with correct policies. Given the fact that the cyberspace is complex, where both opportunities and challenges are abundant, President Xi put forward the important principle of developing the Internet and information technology applications with the people being at the center. This will be the fundamental principle of the party and the Chinese people as they embrace the opportunities and challenges of the information revolution.

First of all, the Internet cause belongs to the people. This is unmistakably clear from the fundamental principle that the cause has the people at its center. Whether the Internet space should be people-centric or serve hegemonic purposes is a pivotal question confronting the international community. Since the advent of the Internet, different countries in the world have held divergent views and principles on the use of the cyberspace. Some countries maneuver the Internet for world opinion control, and some even resort to the Internet as a tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs or undermine their political power. All these and other uses of the Internet fundamentally deviate from the spirit with which our times imbue it. It is imperative that we take the vantage point of history and make conscientious efforts to build a people-centered Internet, upholding the principle that our Internet enterprise belongs to the people. In a broader sense, the digital age belongs to the people. This principle represents the philosophy of the Communist Party of China for development of the Internet and information technology applications.

Second, China’s Internet cause is for the people. The fundamental principle underpinning President Xi’s April 19 speech is that we develop a better Internet for the people. Development of the Internet and information technology applications helps achieve the lofty dream of the great renaissance of the Chinese nation by enabling the people to seize the opportunities of the times. More concretely, this effort is designed to make a broad array of quality Internet and information services available and affordable to the people, or, in the words of President Xi, “to ensure that the masses share and enjoy the fruits of the development of the Internet”. President Xi deeply cares about the residents in the vast rural areas, as he remarked, “Internet infrastructures in rural areas remain underdeveloped”. He further pointed out, “We need to accelerate development of the Internet in rural areas and expand the coverage of optical-fiber nets and broadband nets there.” This indicates China’s firm resolve to address the worldwide challenging issue of ‘digital divide’ by making rural Internet development a priority. As a fundamental guiding principle, President Xi and the CPC members always bear the people’s interests firmly in mind in charting a course of Internet development, from mapping out policies and guidelines to laying out specific requirements.

Third, a healthy cyber environment ensures that the Internet plays a better, more positive role in guiding and representing public opinion and reflecting the popular will. Vast numbers of people around the world acquire and share information on the Internet on a daily basis, and this has significant impacts on the way they think and do things and, as a consequence, on how they perceive their work and lives and the country and the society. This echoes President Xi’s words, “Our netizens hail from all walks of life and life experiences, so it is natural that their views and opinions come in all conceivable forms and types. We cannot expect them to look at things and say things always ‘correctly’.” How can we best deal with online rumors and complaining behavior? Some contend that the Internet should simply be blocked or shut down on the grounds that it is too complex to be governed. “This view is not correct; thus, it won’t be the answer to the problem,” President Xi emphasized in response. “We cannot and won’t close ourselves off from the outside world.” He said, “The cyberspace is the common virtual home for millions upon millions of people. … Netizens are members of the general public; thus, when netizens go online, so does public opinion.” Therefore, he urged the party and governments at all levels, including their leading cadres, to learn about public opinion through the Internet and have the Internet play a role in carrying out the ‘mass line’. In particular, he stressed that we need to be more tolerant of netizens’ views and opinions. He said, “In order to achieve our goals, we need to form ‘concentric circles’ both offline and online.”3 These comprise what we call “mass views” on the development of the Internet.

Finally, we rely on the people in the development of the Internet and information technology applications. The principle that the people are at the center of the endeavor means that we also rely on the people not only in development of the Internet but also in cyber governance. President Xi emphasized that we need to motivate the people, including enhancing the sense of mission and responsibility among Internet enterprises, and that we also need to bring ourselves under the oversight of the people. Criticism from the people is to be welcomed and, most importantly, to be seriously treated and heeded, whether it is targeted at the party and government’s work or individual cadres, or whether it is like “a gentle breeze” or is harsh to the ear.

It is gratifying that over the past year the Central Party Committee and the State Council have promulgated a series of major policies and guidelines on cyber-security and informatization, in a bid to further carry out the spirit of President Xi’s April 19 speech. These include the following, among others: Outline of the National Strategy for Innovation-Driven Development, Outline of the National Strategy for Informatization, National Strategy for Cyber-security, Strategy for International Cooperation in Cyberspace, National Cyber-security Law, and Planning on Big Data Industrial Development (2016-2020).

The Dual Nature of Cyber-security

Cyber-security poses as a major challenge to be addressed in our efforts to promote the development of the Internet. However, this should not cause us to see the Internet as a treacherous space to stay away from. Rather, we need to make vigorous, resolute efforts to develop the Internet and, in the process, govern the cyberspace. Hence, it is necessary that we take a clear-headed, two-sided view of cyber-security. Only by doing so will we be able to achieve balanced development of cyber-security and informatization.

“Cyber-security and informatization support and reinforce each other,” President Xi pointed out at the aforementioned event. “The former is the prerequisite for the latter, while the latter is the guarantee for the former. The two need to be promoted at the same time.” These words accurately capture the interrelationships between cyber-security and informatization.

Based on the above interrelationships, President Xi proposed and well defined, for the first time, a complete view on cyber-security. According to the view, cyber-security is closely related to a number of other issues, is relative and dynamic in nature, and should be approached with an open attitude. This view requires that we appropriately address a variety of issues regarding cyber-security and informatization. Specifically, we need to accomplish the following under the guidance of the view:

First, we need to keep away from attempts to seek absolute cyber-security, which are unrealistic and futile. Nothing is absolute, and this is true of cyber-security. Different forces interact and counteract each other constantly in the area of cyber-security, and this is what we call “new normal” in cyberspace. We can achieve sustainable cyber-security only by correctly understanding and handling the following set of relationships: cyber-security vs. Internet development, openness vs. independence, governance vs. services, and freedom vs. order. It is essential that we strike a balance between the two in each of these dichotomies. This implies that expedient or drastic governance approaches employed under crisis situations may not be an appropriate solution. President Xi said, “It is necessary that we achieve cyber-security based on our actual national conditions and refrain from the practice of seeking cyber-security regardless of the cost.” Otherwise, our efforts would entail heavy political and economic costs and most likely backfire. In one word, we need to discard the concept of absolute cyber-security as we step up our efforts to develop the Internet and information technology applications.

Second, we need to establish a cyber environment that is open and well governed at the same time. As a basic principle, China supports an open Internet. Otherwise, we would not have 700 million netizens today, nor would we be the world’s largest digital economy. Likewise, we maintain an open attitude on the question of cyber-security. President Xi said, “We can expect to continuously improve cyber-security levels only by fostering an open environment, which is conducive to strengthening interactions, exchanges, and cooperation with other countries and to introducing advanced technologies.” At the same time, he pointed out, “Many technologies are a ‘double-edged sword’. On the one hand, they benefit the society and the people; on the other hand, however, they may be used to undermine the interests of the general public and those of individuals.” For this reason, he remarked, “The Internet is not a lawless territory. The use of the Internet to advocate the toppling of the government or incite and preach religious extremism, separatism, or terrorism must be resolutely stopped and cracked down upon. Under no circumstances can we tolerate such activities or allow them to go unchecked.” We govern the Internet according to law, and, by doing so, we are doing the right thing. We need to combine openness and governance; that is, we keep the Internet open whenever we can and govern it whenever necessary. Only in this way can we create a sound cyber environment genuinely to the benefit of the people.

Third, we need to address a series of critical issues in the area of cyber-securit