Jointly Building a Cybersecurity Defense Line — China Has Made Significant Progress in Its Cybersecurity Efforts

Release date:

2021-10-18

Author:

Jinhua Logistics

Without cybersecurity, there can be no national security, no stable operation of the economy and society, and the interests of the broad masses of the people will be difficult to safeguard.

Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, guided by General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important thought on building a cyber power and his key instructions on cybersecurity work—emphasizing the “Four Upholdings”—China’s cybersecurity efforts have entered a fast track, with significant progress across all fronts and the emergence of a series of vivid practices and valuable experiences.

Continuously strengthening the legal foundation of cybersecurity.

The law is the beginning of governance.

In recent years, under the strong leadership of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and guided by the holistic national security outlook, the top-level design and overall strategic framework for national cybersecurity have been continuously refined, and the fundamental “four pillars and eight beams” of cybersecurity have been essentially put in place.

China has enacted the Cybersecurity Law, the Data Security Law, the Personal Information Protection Law, as well as the National Cybersecurity Strategy and the Regulations on the Security Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure, thereby ushering in a new era in the rule of law in cyberspace.

The issuance of departmental regulations and normative documents, including the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, the Measures for Security Assessment of Cloud Computing Services, and the Provisional Regulations on the Security Management of Automotive Data, has essentially established the policy framework for national cybersecurity work.

A total of 322 national standards have been formulated and promulgated, and 12 international standards incorporating China’s technical contributions and proposals have been released, further enhancing the national cybersecurity standards system.

In the era of the Internet of Everything, opportunities and risks coexist.

To address cybersecurity risks and challenges, proactive prevention is essential. In recent years, China has continuously strengthened its capacity for emergency response to cybersecurity incidents, and the national cybersecurity emergency response system has become increasingly robust.

In effective alignment with the National Cybersecurity Incident Emergency Response Plan, sectors such as finance, energy, telecommunications, and transportation have successively formulated or revised their own industry‑specific cybersecurity emergency response plans, thereby continuously strengthening the security protection framework and steadily enhancing their capacity for emergency response and incident handling.

The Internet is humanity’s shared home. Making this home more beautiful, cleaner, and safer is a collective responsibility of the international community.

China has continuously strengthened international governance of the Internet and international cooperation on cybersecurity, working to establish a multilateral, democratic, and transparent global Internet governance system. Since 2014, the World Internet Conference has been successfully held for eight consecutive years. China’s contributions—such as the “Four Principles,” the “Five Proposals,” and the “Four Commons” on global Internet development and governance—have earned broad recognition from the international community, while key concepts like a community with a shared future in cyberspace have taken deep root in people’s minds.

Safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the people in cyberspace with all our efforts.

As the digital transformation accelerates, public attention to cybersecurity, data security, and personal information protection continues to grow.

China has continuously improved its cybersecurity review system and the security assessment regime for cloud computing services, and has launched a range of targeted remediation campaigns to fully safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of the public in cyberspace.

Organize and conduct cybersecurity reviews of procurement activities involving network products and services for critical information infrastructure, initiating such reviews for Didi, Yunmanman, Huochebang, BOSS Zhipin, and other entities, thereby effectively mitigating national security risks arising from procurement practices, data processing activities, and overseas listings.

Meanwhile, security assessments have been conducted on cloud platforms serving Party and government agencies as well as critical information infrastructure, strengthening the security management of cloud computing services and mitigating associated risks. To date, 56 cloud platforms have passed the cloud computing service security assessment.

The internet reaches hundreds of millions of people. To advance the cause of cyber and information technology, we must uphold a development philosophy centered on the people.

To safeguard the personal information security of citizens, since 2019, relevant authorities have launched a special campaign to address the illegal and non-compliant collection and use of personal information by apps, publicly exposing more than 1,000 apps with particularly serious issues. This year, efforts have been further intensified to crack down on illicit activities such as camera‑based voyeurism, resulting in the removal of over 1,600 non‑compliant products from app stores, and the summoning of video‑surveillance app developers found to pose risks of privacy‑related video data leaks.

In accordance with the law, we have severely cracked down on cyber‑hacking, telecom and online fraud, and other criminal activities that are deeply abhorred by the public. The “Clean Internet” special campaign has been vigorously advanced; since the beginning of this year, more than 16,000 offenders have been apprehended, and criminal coercive measures have been imposed on over 6,700 of them, striving to ensure that the people enjoy a greater sense of gain, happiness, and security in cyberspace.

The entire society is working together to build a cybersecurity defense.

Cybersecurity is for the people, and it relies on the people. Safeguarding cybersecurity is a shared responsibility of the entire society, requiring the concerted participation of governments, enterprises, social organizations, and the broad online community to build a robust defense against cyber threats.

Since 2014, ten government departments have jointly and continuously organized the National Cybersecurity Publicity Week nationwide, promoting cybersecurity education and awareness in government agencies, enterprises, schools, and communities. This has effectively enhanced public awareness of cybersecurity and improved individuals’ protective skills, fostering a positive societal atmosphere that emphasizes “cybersecurity is for the people, and cybersecurity relies on the people.”

At its core, competition in cyberspace is a competition for talent.

In recent years, relevant authorities have kept pace with the times, introducing a series of robust policies and measures that are helping to accelerate the development of a healthy ecosystem for cybersecurity talent cultivation, technological innovation, and industrial growth.

A first-level discipline in cybersecurity has been established, and a pilot program for building world-class cybersecurity colleges has been launched, with 11 universities selected. The cybersecurity technology industry is expanding rapidly, with growth rates that lead the world. A national base for cybersecurity talent and innovation has been developed, and pilot zones for the integrated development of cybersecurity education, technology, and industry have been set up, accelerating the advancement of cybersecurity disciplines and the cultivation of skilled professionals.

The internet knows no bounds, but cybersecurity does. At this new historical juncture, China will comprehensively strengthen its cybersecurity governance framework and capacity-building efforts, continuously forging a new landscape for cybersecurity work.