Xi stresses improving long-term mechanisms for cyberspace governance

BEIJING - Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has emphasized the importance of improving long-term mechanisms for cyberspace governance.

Presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday, Xi called for sustained efforts to cultivate a clean, healthy and sound online environment.

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Party has accorded high priority to cyberspace governance, consistently reinforcing mainstream values, mainstream opinions and mainstream culture on the internet, and effectively combating unhealthy online content, Xi said, noting that the overall online environment has witnessed positive strides.

Emphasizing the critical role of cyberspace governance within national governance, Xi underscored the need to strengthen the comprehensive governance framework and foster coordinated efforts under the centralized, unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee.

He stressed the need to strengthen guidance of online platforms, independent media creators, and multi-channel internet entities, and urge them to shoulder social responsibilities and serve as disseminators of positive energy.

Xi highlighted the importance of making the internet a vital front for ideological guidance, moral cultivation, and cultural inheritance.

Pointing out that unhealthy online content pollutes social morals and harm the public's interests, Xi called for the courage to take resolute action against them and for efforts to cut off the networks of interests and industrial chains behind, and to remove the breeding grounds and conditions for their emergence.

Xi noted that the continuous emergence of new technologies and applications, such as artificial intelligence and big data, presents challenges to cyberspace governance while offering new avenues for support. He stressed the importance of encouraging the development of new technologies in cyberspace.

Acknowledging that cyberspace governance is a common challenge for all countries, he emphasized the importance of international collaboration to combat illegal and criminal activities online and to advance the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace.