Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi has proposed a global initiative on data security as he said ‘a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is in the making in today's world’.
He made the proposal while delivering a keynote speech titled ‘Upholding Multilateralism, Fairness and Justice and Promoting Mutually Beneficial Cooperation’ at a high-level meeting of an international seminar themed with "Seizing Digital Opportunities for Cooperation and Development" on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Dhaka said.
Yi said countries face the common task of integrating the digital economy with the real economy, speeding up the shift to new growth drivers, and cultivating new industries and new forms of business.
The explosive growth and aggregation of data is providing a new source of energy for economic growth and industrial transformation, he said.
“In the meantime, the mounting risks of data security have posed new challenges to global digital governance. Countries face a pressing need to step up communication and coordination, build up mutual trust and deepen cooperation with one another, discuss ways to manage data security risks and promote global governance in the digital domain.”
To effectively address the risks and challenges to data security, Wang Yi said, three principles must be observed.
First, uphold multilateralism. All countries should pursue extensive consultation and joint contribution for shared benefits. It is important to develop a set of international rules on data security that reflect the will and respect the interests of all countries through broad-based participation, he said.
Second, balance security and development. Countries have the right to protect data security according to law. That said, they are also duty-bound to provide an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for all businesses. Protectionism in the digital domain runs counter to the laws of economic development and the trend of globalization. Protectionist practices undermine the right of global consumers to equally access digital services and will eventually hold back the country's own development.
Third, ensure fairness and justice. Protection of digital security should be based on facts and the law. Politicization of security issues, double standards and slandering others violate the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously disrupt and hamper global digital cooperation and development, the Chinese foreign minister said.
Wang Yi stressed, digital economy in China has been thriving. There are over 900 million netizens in China.
“We have clear legal provisions for protecting the lawful rights and interests of citizens and organizations, including data security and personal information.
“The Chinese government has acted in strict compliance with data security principles. We have not and will not ask Chinese companies to transfer data overseas to the government in breach of other countries' laws.”
The seminar was held by China Internet Governance Forum.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Djoomart Otorbaev and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Liu Zhenmin delivered speeches at the high-level meeting, the Chinese embassy said.
