Curbs on i-net needed to prevent 'external interference':China

Justifying its curbs on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube, China today said such controls were needed to prevent "external interference".
"Safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests in cyberspace has become an important strategic goal," China's first white paper on cyber security released here said.
Titled "International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace", the white paper highlighted how several countries including China and Russia pushed for a "sovereign" and nationally-administered and controlled internet to avoid external interference.
While it said China "supports a free and open Internet", senior Chinese officials who released the paper to the media put up a strong defence to Beijing's internet controls by blocking global social media websites like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube with Great firewalls, saying that it is keeping in line with protecting China's national interests.

Releasing the white paper, Wang Jianchao, International Cooperation Department of the Cyberspace Administration of China said, "the Chinese Internet is fully open".
"As long as they comply with Chinese laws and regulations, refrain from undermining China's national interests and interests of Chinese consumers, all Internet companies are welcome in China," Wang said.

Long Zhou, Coordinator, Cyber affairs division of the Foreign Ministry said, China was "deeply worried that around the world cyber attacks are increasing".
China, which has only state-controlled media, is trying to grapple with spread of social media like Weibo, a Chinese version of twitter which has hundreds of millions of users.

Weibo itself has over 313 million users. The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) worries that it could be effectively used to subvert its over six decades of rule.
China's concept of cyber sovereignty will be discussed in the BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to be held in Xiamen in September this year, officials said.
It will be discussed in the cyber security working group of the bloc, they said.
"As BRICS host this year, China stands ready to work together with Russia and other BRICS partners," Long said.
The white paper also spoke about strengthening of cyber

capabilities as an important part of China's military modernisation and cautioned that internet should not become "a new battlefield".
The building of national defence cyberspace capabilities is an important part of China's military modernisation, it said, adding that countries should not harm other nation's security and interfere in their internal affairs, and should not engage in cyber hegemony.
The white paper outlined China's strategic goals in participating in international cyberspace cooperation, which include firmly safeguarding China's sovereignty, security and development interests in cyberspace, developing a system of international rules, promoting fair internet governance, protecting legitimate rights and interests of citizens, furthering global cooperation on digital economy, building platform for cyber culture exchange.

The strategy also laid out a plan of action to advance international cyberspace cooperation.
China has taken an active part in international processes on cyberspace and continued to enhance its dialogue and cooperation in this field with other countries in the world, it added.