Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace with Systems Thinking

    In his video message to the opening ceremony of the Wuzhen Summit of the World Internet Conference 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the “Three Advocates” for building a more inclusive and prosperous, peaceful and secure, equal and tolerant cyberspace, and emphasized to “deepen exchanges and practical cooperation, and jointly push the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage”, which holds great practical significance to the construction of a more just, reasonable, democratic and transparent global Internet governance system. It also demonstrates China’s role as a responsible major country and its commitment to human progress. It is the answer of our times as it is the common aspiration of the international community.

    The global cyberspace community is the tangible expression of the concept of a community with a shared future in the digital realm. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China has persistently championed the global community of cyberspace, fostering international dialogue and exchanges in the digital realm. China has actively engaged in global internet governance platforms and mechanisms, showcasing its expertise and influence in internet development and governance on a global scale. The country has released a series of outcome documents, integrating digital technologies like mobile internet, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence with various industries, thereby contributing to global economic development. The World Internet Conference has evolved into a permanent international organization with over 120 members from 24 countries and regions worldwide. However, the building of such community is not without challenges, issues such as the digital divide, regulatory inconsistencies, imbalances in internet resources, cyber-hegemony, de-globalization sentiments, and protectionism must be addressed.

    The “Three Advocates” could offer guidance against such a backdrop. Systems thinking must be embraced if man were to move to the next stage of building a global cyberspace community. First, embrace dialectical analysis, strike a delicate balance between development and security, advance international exchanges and cooperation in the digital field, bridge the digital gap, and build a more inclusive and prosperous cyberspace. Second, maintain forward-looking thinking is imperative; acknowledge the current situation and anticipate challenges going forward, explore new opportunities, and prepare for unforeseen circumstances to ensure that China’s international cooperation in cyberspace can make new progress. Third, uphold comprehensive planning, optimize the overall strategy, clarify the direction of efforts, and modernize the network information technology at home. Simultaneously, strengthening international exchanges and cooperation will contribute to advancing the global internet governance system. Finally, a commitment to holistic progress and general balance is crucial. This collective approach will bring the benefits of the internet to all.

    In the great cause of building such a community, joint efforts must be made to optimize the global internet governance system in the direction of greater justice, equality, security and peace, so that the cyberspace can become a platform for the common development of mankind and help create a better future.

    (Author: Yu Xuefeng, special fellow at the Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era in Fujian Province, and deputy director of the Department of Teaching and Research at the Party School of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee)