World Internet Conference
1. Introduction. The first World
Internet Conference (WIC) was organised in 2014 by the Cyberspace
Administration of China in collaboration with the Zhejiang provincial people’s
government at Wuzhen. It was a platform designed by China to discuss internet
related technology and internet management. The Conference saw many important
companies attending the event in the span of four years. The 7th WIC was held virtually in 2020
with participation in terms of number of countries and companies, being less as
compared to previous years. The aim of
this paper is to bring out important aspects of the 7th WIC
and, implications, if any for India.
2. Background. The
most significant WIC, from China’s standpoint, was held in 2017 when Google and
Apple attended the event for the first time. It was a huge win for China as
this confirmed that China, with 800 mn internet users, could not be ignored (McCarthy, 2018). It was also a political
statement in that presence of foreign tech companies participating in the
conference implied giving legitimacy to China’s version of internet governance.
3. Internet
Management. The 7th WIC
was attended by representatives from countries like Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,
Russia, Pakistan etc. giving China an opportunity to build a stage with similar
thinking countries who believe that internet should be “controlled” to prevent
misuse. The Conference was held with the simple aim of presenting a Chinese
view of internet management. What China hoped to achieve through these
Conferences was to provide other countries an alternative model of internet
governance vis-a-vis the one projected by Western countries. The Conference was
also to convey to these countries and companies that if they wanted access to
Chinese markets then they would have to follow the Chinese rules of internet
management.
4. Technology
Demonstration. The Wuzhen Conference has been a stage to showcase
technological supremacy. Since the 2015 Conference, events have been held to
showcase innovative technological ideas put forward by various Chinese
companies. The 2018 Conference also displayed the same, though, among these
only few ideas from foreign companies got recognition while the rest were
dominated by Chinese companies. This signaled that these conferences are used
to showcase the development China has achieved in terms of internet technology.
Chinese companies showed technologies that are helping the Chinese government to
keep a track on people and their activities which indicated how internet-based
technology is used for security and surveillance (Zhong,
2018).
5. The 7th WIC was also used as a platform to
encourage digitising economic businesses using the latest internet technology
particularly with countries in the OBOR. This implies that China is providing
these solutions to further its hold on their economy, increase market share and
further its influence by providing cost effective solutions. The 7th WIC also saw China raising issues
of cyber security, cyber terrorism, issues of hacking etc. In all its
Conferences China has stressed on the importance of the world and China working
together to thwart cyber crimes. This comes in the backdrop of China being
accused of cyber theft and espionage over the past few years. Hence, China has
used the conference to steer the world’s attention away from these accusations
by working to build a consensus on internet misuse.
6. Implications
for India. Rallying of other countries by China to agree to a
particular view of internet censorship does not leave room for India to put
forth its stand on internet management which in turn can affect Indian market
and businesses in these countries.
7. Conclusion. WIC
has become a rallying stage for China to create an alternative to the Western
style of internet development. China has intensified its technology outreach to
countries that were looking for more options thereby allowing it to build a
narrative of how internet and technology should be used.
(The views expressed in the article are that of the author.)
Bibliography
McCarthy, N.
(2018, August 23). China Now Boasts More Than 800 million Internet
Users and 98% of them are Mobile. Retrieved
from Forbes:
Zhong, R. (2018,
November 08). At China's Internet Conference, a Darker Side of
Tech Emerges. Retrieved
from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/08/technology/china-world-internet-conference.html