Apple chief executive Tim Cook and Google boss Sundar Pichai attend conference as China tightens grip over cyberspace
Chinese President Xi Jinping has again sought to rally support for “cyber sovereignty” in a message to China’s annual World Internet Conference on Sunday.
In a letter read out to the conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, by Communist Party publicity chief Huang Kunming, Xi said developments online were raising many new challenges to sovereignty and security, and China was “willing to work with the international community to respect cyberspace sovereignty and promote partnerships”.
The letter underscores Xi’s previous cyber sovereignty calls to the conference in which he has promoted the idea that all countries have the right to regulate the internet within their own borders.
But the letter was a departure from last year when Xi delivered the message via a video link and 2015 when he pressed his point in person.
Xi’s presidency has coincided with extraordinary growth and tighter censorship online in China. Tencent and Alibaba are now among the world’s most valued internet companies, followed by an army of powerful players such as Baidu, JD.com and handset maker Xiaomi. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.
Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai attend Chinese state-run internet conference
A report by Deloitte and China Venture released in September said China had 98 unicorns – 40 per cent of the world’s companies valued at at least US$1 billion before listing.
