SAO PAULO, June 30 -- The first general meeting of the Global Internet Governance Alliance (GIGA) council was held here Tuesday to discuss key issues related to international cooperation on Internet governance while highlighting China's role.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff had called for a just and equal global Internet environment and regarded China as the "key factor to the success of global Internet governance," said Fadi Chehade, president of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

Rousseff had suggested he find Chinese partners for cooperation, Chehade said.

To establish a multiple-stakeholder platform, Chehade said that dialogues among different partners should be improved, the platform should be transparent and just, and all stakeholders should be able to equally participate in global Internet governance.

With a huge Internet population of 600 million, China has been working hard to find the right way to develop Internet, said Lu Wei, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) who attended the meeting.

All countries, regardless of their sizes, should respect others' cyberspace sovereignty, he said.

Only by respecting the cooperation platform for multiple stakeholders, can one earns support from the world, he added.

Jack Ma, founder of China's ecommerce giant Alibaba, was elected co-chairman of the GIGA Council at the meeting..

"This election signifies trust in China's Internet, and how China governs its Internet," said Ma.

GIGA is co-sponsored by ICANN, the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee and the World Economic Forum to provide a platform for the discussion of Internet governance solutions.