Regulations don't hurt China's cyber vitality
Global Times
1512425596000


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During the Fourth World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, some Western media have been constantly accusing China over fundamental issues of Internet administration and management. However, those radical US media and lawmakers are not the ones who have the final say on rules of worldwide Internet development and operation. Governments and people from other countries must also have a say. 
China has been holding onto the principle of opening up the Internet. Meanwhile, it also emphasizes the concept of cyber sovereignty. Maintaining Internet sovereignty is not only a realistic demand of Beijing, but also an urgent need of many other non-Western nations. 
China has the ability to do so, yet quite a few nations find themselves powerless to safeguard their Internet sovereignty given their insufficient investment in technology development and management.  
Western criticism of China will not work, because practice is the sole criterion for testing truth. The combination of opening up the Internet and defending Internet sovereignty has yielded a fairly good effect, which makes the criticisms from the West seem hypocritical, weak, narrow-minded and ignorant.
The Internet has filtered into every facet of Chinese people's lives. China's Internet economy is also thriving and has turned into a driving force for progress of global Internet technologies. Major Internet companies in China have fully activated the advantage the nation has - substantial quantities of Internet users. 
Granted, controversies over network management do exist in China. One of the most heated discussions is how much freedom should Chinese net users enjoy in expressing their opinions and how to use the leverage of deleting social media posts. It is a reflection of a controversy over freedom of speech in China on the Internet. 
Objectively speaking, China has been constantly exploring in this regard, and the country has never tripped over the issue. It is moving forward, handling debates. 
The framework of Internet governance in China - the combination of opening up the Internet and defending Internet sovereignty - has been formed and approved by the majority of the Chinese people, who thirst for steady development and hope for more room for their voices. 
After rounds of exploration, most Chinese people understand the need for coordination and reconciliation. Complaints and criticisms of the Chinese Internet do not suggest their disappointment with the nation's overall management of cyberspace.
China welcomes all Internet companies entering the Chinese market, but the precondition is that they must comply with Chinese law. This is not an obsessive request. They can either choose to come to China or not. 
US Internet giants do not represent the world. No matter how much market they own of the global Internet business, those enterprises and US public opinion should still show some modesty. 
China does not want to confront US hegemony of cyberspace. It is only safeguarding the bottom line of its national security.