Internet localization an inevitable outcome

Source:Global Times Published: 2014-11-20 23:08:01

The first World Internet Conference kicked off Wednesday in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province. Some Western mainstream media outlets said that through the conference, they see two divided worldviews in virtual space. This reflects a very conventional mind-set in the West.

The convening of the World Internet Conference, with the river town of Wuzhen as its permanent site, demonstrates the strength of China's Internet. China has the largest Internet population, currently standing at more than 600 million users. Four of the world's top 10 Internet companies are based in China. The record US-listed initial public offering by Alibaba, China's e-commerce giant, also highlights the potential and attraction of the Chinese Internet.

Public opinion in the West generally depicts China's Internet policy as "restricting freedom." This stereotype is simply unable to describe the whole picture of the vigorous, diversified growth of the Chinese Internet. As a latecomer in Internet development, China seeks a balance in the dual task of accelerating growth and ensuring security.

Compared with the situation in the West, Chinese society has witnessed more apparent and profound changes due to the emergence of the Internet. It is groundless to say that the Chinese Internet is the world's largest intranet.

The Internet, invented in the West, inevitably faced a process of localization after its entry into China. If the Internet is truly global, it has to strike a balance between different demands from different societies. Making compromises and enriching original patterns are the essence of globalization.

Some Westerners are just too lazy to learn about the changing world, and instead they tag a simple label on things that are different from what they knew conventionally.

As Chinese Internet giants gradually break the Western technological monopoly, it's only a matter of time before the business value of the Chinese Internet ranks No.1 in the world. It does not make any sense that some Westerners keep treating the Chinese Internet as heterodoxy.

China is determined when handling issues concerning national security, but it is open-minded in Internet governance. China welcomes Internet giants from the US as long as they obey Chinese law. The problem is that US Internet giants need to get rid of the stereotype of "American exceptionalism."

Hopefully, the conference at Wuzhen can become a starting point for the global cyber world. It's not that there is a conspiracy in every step China takes.

In terms of opening-up, China actually adopts a relatively simple attitude - it has to open up, but it has to ensure security while opening up. As long as the US seeks to promote the growth of the global Internet, it will find that China is a sincere and reasonable partner.

Posted in: Observer

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