China calls for int'l cyberspace rules

Amid reports linking it to several cyber-attacks in past months, China is urging the international community to formulate rules for cyberspace as it cited "grim" challenges concerning online risks. Ma Xiaotian, deputy chief of the general staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, made the call at a symposium on cyber-security in Beijing, according to a report on China's government web portal Tuesday. "It (the Internet) has posed new challenges for the security of all nations as well as international security," he was quoted as saying in the report. The Chinese government portal report said more than 80 experts from more than 20 countries attended the meeting dubbed "Cyber Security: China and the World." Sponsors of the symposium included the China Institute for International Strategic Studies (CIISS) and the Hong Kong-based Katie Chan Foundation. Ma, who is also president of the CIISS, said the issue of cyber-security has been creeping from the virtual world to the real world with the development of information technology and the popularization of the Internet. He said that since the Internet is open and transnational, no country can effectively address the global challenge single-handedly. Yet, he said the world does not yet have any set of widely recognized and accepted rules applicable to the area. This is a gap which has restrained the healthy development of the online community and the effective management of the Internet, he said. Ma said China, in partnership with other countries, has put forward a draft international code on information security to the United Nations to initiate an open and inclusive process of discussion on the issue. China is not only a beneficiary of the development of the Internet, but also a victim of cyber attacks, he said. He added all nations should seek common ground while reserving differences and boost exchanges and cooperation to address the issue of cyber security "just as we address international political disputes in the real world." Also on Monday, Chen Zhili, vice chairwoman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, met with the symposium's foreign participants. China had been accused of cyber-attacks, including those on Philippine websites, amid a standoff at the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal that started last April. The standoff started when Philippine forces spotted Chinese fishermen gathering marine species but were blocked by Chinese vessels from making any arrests. A series of cyber-attacks on Philippine websites occurred, many of which involved the Chinese flag and a message claiming Huangyan Island, the name China uses to refer to the shoal, belongs to China. The attacks prompted counter-attacks from pro-Philippine hackers, who targeted Chinese websites. — LBG, GMA News