It’s the fifth year for China to hold the World Internet Conference (WIC). Mutual trust and collective governance have always been a focus of the event, which is a clear manifestation of China’s wisdom on global Internet development and governance.

The Internet is developing at a tremendous pace. At the WIC in 2014, the application of the 4G network was still a major topic, while today in Wuzhen, where the conference is held, 5G cars can be seen everywhere.

Besides, other latest technologies such as receptionist-free smart hotels, and intelligent elderly care and healthcare services, are also available for experience at this year’s event. At the age of Internet, the world is always accelerating its pace of development.

In addition to the speed of network, the spread of information, technological upgrading, as well as the occurrence and development of an event, are also accelerating.

A computer virus could instantly hack computers across the world and virtual currencies could impact real economic operation. In the digital world, mankind is in a cyberspace community of shared destiny, where they share the waxes and wanes.

For China, the development of the Internet is a process that always challenges people’s imagination. A few years ago, people thought digital economy was only about e-commerce, and social media-based business. But now the Internet Plus has turned into infrastructure, based on which the internet technologies are collaborating with various industries.

China has the largest number of Internet users in the world. The total volume of its e-commerce ranks the first in the world, so does its value of online payment. In 2017, China’s digital economy hit 27.2 trillion yuan.

As a result, China should be an important force in the global Internet governance, to make Internet, the common land for human beings, more beautiful, cleaner and safer.

The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) is being held in Shanghai, a place not far from Wuzhen, bringing future life experiences.

Internet is the base for online food sale, autopilot vehicles, delicate robot arms, as well as smart refrigerators and washing machines, while at present, a number of outstanding Internet entrepreneurs have been attracted to Wuzhen, envisioning the application of virtual reality in social media, and planning to replace facial recognition with voiceprint identification.

Such a beautiful future is worth expectation, and two questions come along it: how can we better the digital world and how will the human beings embrace the future?

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that it is a general trend and common aspiration of the people to promote the reform of the global cyberspace governance system.

Countries in the world share the same aspiration for the development of digital economy, the same interests to cope with cyberspace security challenges and the same needs to strengthen cyberspace governance, despite their different national conditions, phases of Internet development and challenges from reality.

To make digital economy genuinely benefit the mankind, mutual trust and collective governance are a fundamental principle.

Only by mutual trust can consensus be reached in the virtual cyberspace and then become positive power for a better life. Only by collective governance can a more principled and rule-based Internet be made, a clearer and brighter cyberspace be created and a more powerful development of digital economy be achieved.

Currently, the world is faced with mounting protectionism and unilateralism, and the Internet is also in a complicated situation where suspicion and confrontation sometimes occur.

Under such circumstance, we must work together to build a platform through mutual trust and improve the rules through collective governance. Only through mutual respect and mutual trust, as well as strengthening dialogue and cooperation can we establish a peaceful, open and cooperative cyberspace, and build a multilateral, democratic and transparent global cyberspace governance system.