Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday voiced opposition to the politicization of digital security issues, stressing that protection of digital security should be based on facts and the law.
"The politicization of security issues, double standards and the slandering of others violate the basic norms governing international relations, and seriously disrupt and hamper global digital cooperation and development," Wang said in a keynote speech via video link at the International Seminar on Global Digital Governance in Beijing.
Bent on unilateral acts, a certain country keeps making groundless accusations against others in the name of a "clean" network, using security as a pretext to prey on enterprises of other countries who have a competitive edge, Wang said.
"Such blatant acts of bullying must be opposed and rejected," he said.
Calling for upholding multilateralism and pursuing extensive consultation and joint contributions for shared benefits, Wang said it is important to develop a set of international rules on data security that reflect the will and respect the interests of all countries through broad-based participation.
While stressing the necessity to protect data security, Wang called for balancing security and development, abandoning protectionism and providing an open, fair and non-discriminatory environment for all businesses.
"Protectionism in the digital domain runs counter to the laws of economic development and the trend of globalization. Protectionist practices undermine the right of global consumers to equally access digital services and will eventually hold back the country's own development," he said.