Lu's speech at the opening ceremony of China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum

Lu Wei, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China speaks at the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum opening ceremony in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on September 13, 2015. [Photo/people.com.cn]

Honorable Party Secretary Peng Qinghua,

Honorable Minister of Post and Telecommunications Hiem Phommachanh,

Honorable representatives from the ASEAN countries,

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning! We are gathered here in the picturesque city of Nanning on this golden autumn day to participate in the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum, and compose a new chapter of cyberspace cooperation between China and the ASEAN countries. On behalf of the Cyberspace Administration of China, I warmly welcome all guests and friends here at this forum, and extend our heartfelt gratitude to Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, which made this forum possible.

China and the ASEAN countries are connected geographically, genetically and culturally, and have been good neighbors and partners since ancient times. The millennial Maritime Silk Road has witnessed the prosperity of sea trade, promoted the exchange and fusion of the East and the West, and brought closer China and the ASEAN countries. Facing the future, China's President Xi Jinping proposed that China and the ASEAN countries jointly build a China-ASEAN community of shared destiny and enhance our connectivity by constructing the 21th Century Maritime Silk Road to improve the well-being of people across the region. The rejuvenation of the ancient Maritime Silk Road provides huge historical opportunity to China and the ASEAN countries.

Last year, the first China-ASEAN Cyberspace Forum was a success. It proposed to build the China-ASEAN Information Harbor which features five platforms for infrastructure construction, information sharing, technological cooperation, economic and trade services, and cultural exchanges. The proposal was echoed and recognized by participants to the forum. President Xi Jinping pays close attention to building the China-ASEAN Information Harbor. National departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China and the National Development and Reform Commission, have made detailed plans to build the harbor with Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. Guangxi has been earnestly carrying out President Xi's instructions about positioning Guangxi in the new historical period, so it can build a great international passage linking the ASEAN countries, a strategic stronghold of regional development and a pivotal portal for the Belt and Road Initiative, and promote the construction of the information harbor.

Through the joint efforts of all parties, the construction of the information harbor has made achievements in five aspects of the project. First, the parties have reached consensus on the China-ASEAN Information Harbor, which has an increasingly prominent role to play and become an important part of the Belt and Road initiative. Second, the overall plan for the China-ASEAN Information Harbor takes shape with the construction of the five platforms, pushing ahead in a comprehensive way. Third, key areas for cooperation have been established, covering more than 10 key projects and dozens of specific tasks. Fourth, key projects based in Guangxi and looking toward the ASEAN countries have taken foothold, including four cross-border cables on land and in the sea, the China-ASEAN Information Harbor base and the China-ASEAN E-commerce Industrial Park. Fifth, the harbor has promoted comprehensive exchanges between China and ASEAN in cyberspace, leading to heated cooperation among Internet enterprises, a large number of cooperation projects in technology transfer and innovation and closer exchanges of cyber culture.