[Epoch Times, April 29, 2022](Epoch Times reporter Zhong Yuan Taiwan comprehensive report) In response to the trend of China, Russia and other countries using the Internet to deepen totalitarianism and implement “network segmentation”, the United States and 60 countries around the world on the 28th The partners signed the Future Internet Manifesto, committing to promote an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet.
White House: China and Russia Internet censorship, tearing apart the global Internet
According to the Voice of America, the White House said in a statement that “digital authoritarianism” is on the rise globally, with some countries taking action to suppress free speech, censor independent news sites, interfere with elections, promote disinformation, and deprive citizens of their human rights; At the same time, millions of people still face barriers to getting online, and cybersecurity risks and threats undermine the trustworthiness and reliability of the web.
The White House stated that the principles of the Declaration include: protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, promoting the free flow of information on the global Internet, advancing inclusive and affordable connectivity, enabling all to benefit from the digital economy, and protecting privacy through ways to promote trust in the global digital ecosystem, and a multi-stakeholder approach to governance that protects and strengthens the Internet so that it works in everyone’s interest.
In addition to the United States and Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Canada, the European Commission, Japan, Ukraine, Kenya (Kenya), etc. The declaration states that the signatories are committed to promoting an open, free, global, interoperable, reliable and secure Internet.
White House officials say the global internet faces growing censorship and fragmentation, with China and Russia playing major roles.
“Russia vigorously promotes disinformation at home and abroad, censors online news sources, blocks or shuts down legitimate websites, and even conducts physical attacks on Ukraine’s internet infrastructure,” a senior White House official said Wednesday at a background briefing on the declaration.
“Russia is not alone, it is just one of the leaders of a dangerous new model of online policy, along with some of the most censorship-critical countries in the world, such as the People’s Republic of China,” the White House official stressed.
Representatives of Taiwan and Ukraine sign the declaration
Tang Feng, a member of the Taiwan Executive Yuan, represented Taiwan at the online signing ceremony on Thursday. Xu Youdian, director of the North American Department of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Taiwan has made outstanding achievements in promoting Internet freedom and digital governance, and was therefore invited to participate. He said the declaration “is a political commitment between partners that will advance a shared vision for the Internet and digital technologies”.
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, also signed the declaration on behalf of Ukraine at the online ceremony.
Tyson Barker, head of technology and global affairs at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP), said it was significant that representatives from Taiwan and Ukraine were present at the signing ceremony of the manifesto for the future of the Internet at this “geopolitical moment”.
“Obviously, Ukraine is being besieged in a very violent way, and Taiwan is being besieged in a long-term but low-intensity way,” Buck told VOA. “Both countries are at the forefront of supporting freedom and democracy. , human rights, human dignity, and those values that are represented online.”
Analysis: New manifesto elevates global strategy against CCP cyber threats after Huawei block
Some analysts see the Future of Internet Manifesto as a continuation of the Biden administration’s “Clean Network Initiative” pursued by the previous Trump administration.
During the Trump administration, the U.S. government, through diplomatic mediation led by the U.S. State Department, persuaded allies and partner countries to refuse to allow the Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer Huawei to participate in the construction of the 5G network. Blockade by Chinese companies. More than 50 countries have joined the United States, including the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), NATO, and European Union countries.
White House officials said at a Wednesday briefing that the U.S. government is working to implement Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) 5G technology around the world, funding developing countries through the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to build trusted telecommunications networks, In this way, “competing with Chinese suppliers such as Huawei”.
Ruth Berry, a senior official in the Biden administration and director of digital technology policy and international economics and competitiveness at the White House National Security Council, took aim at Huawei in January at a public event laying out U.S. global internet policy.
“The U.S. is very concerned about the risks posed by untrusted suppliers such as Huawei… In response to these threats, we encourage governments around the world to develop rules and regulations to ensure that unreliable and high-risk suppliers cannot operate on these next-generation networks,” she said. provide network equipment and software.”
The Declaration is open to all countries
The Future Internet Manifesto emphasizes that based on the existing structures of multilateral organizations such as the Group of Seven (G7), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and OECD on related issues, it also accepts other countries with similar ideas and civil society organizations, and integrates the development of the future Internet. consensus.
Many analysts noted that democracies, including Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, New Zealand (New Zealand), and India, did not name the manifesto this time, suggesting that there is still much room for future expansion of the manifesto.
The White House had previously planned to form a coalition with like-minded countries to promote Internet freedom and openness, but the group eventually took shape in the form of a signed manifesto. Barker of the German Council for Foreign Relations said the form of signing the declaration was more open and inclusive than forming a coalition.
“The United States and these democracies want to remain open for civil society, for private sector players and others to participate,” he said.
Martijn Rasser, a senior fellow in the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), suggested that the top priority for all parties in the Future Internet initiative should be “to ensure that countries have access to affordable communications technology and digital infrastructure”. “So that they don’t have to buy lower-priced technology from untrusted suppliers … there are many opportunities for these countries to ensure that digital infrastructure development around the world can be done in a sustainable and secure way,” he said. I think this group can have a lot of short-term impact.”
Analysis: The U.S. and Europe urgently need to resolve technological differences as soon as possible, focusing on next-generation technologies
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of the Brussels-based European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), noted that the friction between the US and the EU over technical issues has not yet been resolved. For open Internet initiatives in democracies to succeed, they must put aside differences and look to the future, he said.
For example, he said that the United States still has differences with European companies in the construction of 5G technology and the formulation and improvement of technical standards. European countries are still introducing various restrictions on the monopoly of American technology giants on the European market.
“If you want to be successful, we need to clear the line, to acknowledge that the US is doing well in cloud computing and Europe is doing well in 5G, then we need to move on, we need to talk about the next big thing,” he said. , we need to innovate and control the next big thing, and create rules and mechanisms for how the next big thing works with like-minded countries.”
In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated, “Tang Feng, a member of the Executive Yuan, was invited to represent my country to attend online and signed a declaration with representatives of more than 50 countries. The United States held the “Summit for Democracy” in December last year ) framework, and jointly promote the above-mentioned declaration with similar-minded partners such as Taiwan.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said, “Our government has always insisted that ‘broadband is a basic human right’ and believes that a completely open and uncontrolled speech environment for all is the soil for digital democracy to blossom.”
Tang Feng said on Facebook on the 29th that it is an honor to gather online with ministerial representatives from various countries to jointly sign the “Future Internet Declaration”. The global pandemic has confirmed the importance of digital transformation, and it also reminds the value of deepening democratic values while defending freedom of speech. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights the necessity of digital resilience. To achieve these goals, an open, reliable and secure Internet is needed. network.
Tang Feng pointed out that how to create and maintain an online environment that helps to reflect democracy, protect the rights and interests of all, and promote economic and social development is not only the common vision of the founding members and Taiwan, but also an issue that Taiwan can contribute to. And Taiwan has always believed that it is brave and confident, and the world goes together.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Taiwan actively cooperates with the United States and other countries with similar ideas to promote an open, free, reliable and safe cyberspace, including proposing a number of commitment projects to promote Internet freedom and counter disinformation at the “Democracy Summit” in the United States , and through the “Global Cooperation and Training Framework” (GCTF) to conduct workshops on media reading and counterfeiting, related achievements have been widely recognized by the international community.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that in recent years, Taiwan has been frequently invited to work closely with the United States on many global issues, including promoting democratic human rights values in the “Democracy Summit” to counter authoritarianism, assisting in the response to the global epidemic of Wuhan pneumonia (CCP virus) and the Ebola virus in Africa. It is showing that the United States supports Taiwan’s international participation, and it also shows that Taiwan’s willingness and ability to contribute to the international community have been internationally recognized. “Our country will continue to cooperate with like-minded countries to jointly address global challenges and promote human well-being.”
Responsible editor: Ye Ziwei#