Xi Jinping calls for global cooperation to make internet fairer, equitable

China's President Xi Jinping called on Wednesday for greater global cooperation in developing the internet and make it more "fair and equitable", as Beijing seeks to bolster its global role in shaping the web.

The speech was read out on Xi's behalf at China's main internet conference in the northern city of Wuzhen, a tightly-controlled event organised by the cyber ministry that oversees the domestic internet and censors online content.

"There is an urgent need for us to speed up the internet economy and work for governance that is more fair and equitable," Xi said.

Technology and the internet are key battlegrounds in