China to mobilize public for cybersecurity

Opening ceremony of the 2017 China Internet Security Conference Jiang Jie/People’s Daily Online

With one-fifth of the world’s netizens, China is ready to mobilize its public for cybersecurity protection, a top cyberspace administrator said Tuesday.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the 2017 China Internet Security Conference in Beijing, Yang Xiaowei, deputy director of Cyberspace Administration of China, noted that people are at core of cybersecurity, which touches on both national security and everyday life.

“By setting up cybersecurity regulations and strengthening cybersecurity management, our primary consideration and our goal should be to safeguard public rights. In the process, ordinary people should also play an important role by inviting others to participate in and benefit from cybersecurity,” Yang noted.

By June, the number of netizens in China topped 751 million, some one-fifth of the world’s online population. Some 54.3 percent of Chinese households enjoy online access, making China a major Internet power in the world, according to Yang.

Starting from 2014, China launched the national “cybersecurity week” campaign to promote cybersecurity awareness in neighborhoods, on campuses, and at companies. In August, Chinese authorities vowed to build four to six world-class cyber security schools within 10 years.

Meanwhile, China is considering setting up a cybersecurity classification protection regulation, revealed Guo Qiquan, a chief engineer on cybersecurity at the Ministry of Public Security, at the conference. Guo did not give further details on the regulation, but pointed out that a new era of “classified protection 2.0” has arrived, and key infrastructure should be high on the protection list.

“The outbreak of many cybersecurity incidents in the past year showed new vulnerabilities and new attack methods. To prevent these cyberattacks, we need to utilize both machine and man power, the latter of which plays a central role,” Qi Xiangdong, Chairman of 360 Enterprise Security Group, said at the conference.