Many experts see the proposed Internet reforms as determination on the part of China to push for an alternative to the U.S.-led world order. (Photo : REUTERS)
A senior colonel in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) declared that U.S.-dominated Internet domain may pose a threat against the Communist Party.
In a report by the Wall Street Journal, China is pushing for an Internet community that is run with tight security and on its own terms.
Just last July 1, the Chinese legislature passed a security law couched on the premise that sovereignty extends into cyberspace and that network technology should be controllable.
Domestic firms are now under the financial and policy support of the Chinese government, developing semiconductors and servers that are expected to replace the ones made by Western companies.
In an an apparent show of acquiescence, some Western companies are conforming with the rules imposed by Beijing in order to gain a position in the country.
LinkedIn Corp., for instance, has agreed to censor some content, saying that it respects freedom of expression but must abide by the restrictions.
Apple Inc. has been utilizing the primary Chinese Internet platform, which is run by state-controlled China Telecom, to store Chinese users' data and says that the data is encrypted.
A Chinese regulator who represented the country also met with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook has issued a statement saying that it is interested in China but has yet to make any concrete decisions.
China is also appealing to an international audience to support its efforts, as it proposed to the United Nations an Internet code of conduct that would effectively give every government a veto over technical protocols interlinking the global Internet.
According to Beijing, such stringent measures are necessary for national security.
Many experts see this assertion as determination on the part of China to push for an alternative to the U.S.-led world order.
Aside from challenging the current Internet protocols, China is also claiming territory in the South China Sea, flexing its military capabilities, and setting up an Asian infrastructure bank similar to the World Bank.
U.S. leaders have stated that the policies that China is pursuing are aimed at curbing individual freedoms rather than upholding national security.
