Mutual Trust through Communication, Cooperation through Win-Win

Speech at the 7th Sino-US Internet Forum

2 December 2014

Lu Wei

Respected madam Catherine Novelli,

Respected misters Craig Mundi, and Shen Xiangyang,

Respected mister Wu Hequan,

Ladies, gentlemen, friends:

Good morning everyone! Today, government representatives and business elites from the Chinese and US Internet circles have come together in Washington, to together welcome the opening of the 7th Sino-US Internet Forum. I represent the Cyberspace Administration of China in sincerely and enthusiastically congratulating the convention of the Forum! And in expressing sincere thanks to the Forum’s sponsors, Microsoft and the Internet Society of China!

Since last year, China’s President XI Jinping and President Obama have grasped general tends and looked towards the future, from the Annenberg “estate meeting” to the “Ocean Platform Meeting” in Zhongnanhai, they have reached an important consensus of together building a new type of great power relations between China and the US, this met with high praise and broad recognition from international society, and pushed relationships between both countries into a new historical phase. Following the rapid advance of Internet developments, cyber relations between China and the US have attracted unprecedented attention and concern, they have expanded from commercial cooperation and people-to-people communication to become a focus point in bilateral relationships, and a focus point for attention from all sides, they have become an important content of a new type of great power relationship between China and the US, influence the future of both countries to a considerable degree. Sino-US cyber relationships in a new era tend generally to be good, and are advancing steadily, but there are some bumps on the path ahead, which mainly present the following two characteristics:

First, there is deep convergence, and relations of interest. For China and the US, in cyberspace, where there is me there is you, and where there is you there is me, we have become an inseparable development community, community of interests and community of destiny. China is the largest foreign market for US Internet enterprises, it seems as if all famous American Internet enterprises enjoy huge profits from China, half of Qualcomm’s profits come from China, half of the new users of Apple devices come from China, nearly 1000 US investment funds have made China into a focus point, their tentacles spread into all areas of China’s Internet, they occupy more than a half of foreign investment, and the ups and downs of US enterprises are closely connected with the Chinese market. The US is the main designation for Chinese Internet enterprises to go public abroad, nearly fifty Chinese Internet enterprises are listed in the US, with a combined market value of nearly 500 billion US Dollars, US shareholders have enjoyed great dividends from the development of China’s Internet markets. Recently, Alibaba went public in the US, creating the largest IPO in world history, with a market capitalization in excess of 25 billion dollars, experts and analysts believe that US shareholders have not only invested capital into Alibaba, but also confidence in China’s Internet, confidence in China’s market, and confidence in China’s future.

Second, there are differences, and from time to time, there is friction. Yesterday, I got on the plane from Beijing to Washington, across the Pacific, a flight of more than 10.000 kilometres. I thought, such a long distance, if there would be no contact, how could differences emerge? It is exactly because the China-US Internet integration is becoming ever deeper, exchanges are becoming ever broader, and relationships are becoming ever closer, that our pints of differences can be easily be placed under a magnifying glass and a spotlight, in addition, there are cultural discrepancies, and so and so differences naturally emerge on some questions. For instance, concerning cyberspace governments, the US advocates “multistakeholderism” and China advocates “multilateralism”, this is, of course, no contradiction, and without “multilateralism”, from where would the “stakeholders” in “multistakeholderism” come? Conceptual differences are sedulously exaggerated into big differences, and not only this is useless to Sino-US cyber relations, it is also useless to the common governance and development of the global Internet.

There is deep integration, because there is confidence; differences exist, which illustrates a lack of trust. There is confidence, but there is a lack of trust, this is an unavoidable and inescapable problem in the present state of Sino-US cyber relations. There is an ancient Chinese story called “suspecting someone of stealing an axe”, which tells about how in the past, there was a person who lost an axe, and he suspected that his neighbour had stolen it, and so he secretly observed him. He looked at that person’s posture while walking, the expressions on his face, his manner of speaking, and in every act and every move, he looked like he stole the axe. But after a few days, he found this axe in his own garden, and only then remembered that he had forgotten it in the garden himself. So he looked at the neighbours again, and however much he looked, they no longer looked s if he stole the axe. This seemingly simple story tells us how valuable and important trust is, if there is a lack of trust between people, and if we look at people with subjective biases, the truth will be misunderstood and falsified, and the beautiful will be distorted and made ugly.

When we look across the history of twenty years of Sino-US exchange on the Internet, even thought some differences exist between both sides, the following basic verdict can be made: our consensus about cyberspace is greater than our differences, we engage in more cooperation than in disputes. Chairman Xi Jinping pointed out that those with common goals are partners, those seeking common ground while accepting certain differences are also partners. We may have differences, but we cannot have no communication, we may have arguments, but we cannot have no trust. We cannot let ourselves be misled by hype, nor can we have our eyes blocked by clouds, but we must take up the binoculars of historical laws and look forward carefully. We should consider that if both China and the US unite, they will both benefit, and there will be gains in many areas; if they clash, both will suffer, and this may even harm the world. China and the US should persist in a correct view of duty and interest, seek ever more points where interests converge, be friends rather than opponents, and be true friends rather than false friends. We should see that the Chinese Dream fundamentally corresponds with the American Dream, it is a dream of peace, development, cooperation and win-win, what we pursue is the welfare of the Chinese and American people, and is the common welfare of the people of all countries. We should see that, regarding the internet, consensus and cooperation are the main stream for China and the US, we must not only seek common ground while accepting differences, we must even more seek common ground to move forward together, let the Internet bring peace and security to humankind, let the Internet not become a channel for crime and terrorism, let the Internet help minors’ growing up, let the Internet serve the interests of developing countries even more, because they need the Internet more, this is also a true essential for Internet development. We should see that the Internet has changed the world into a global village, big exchange, big development and big conference are the tides of our times, joint sharing and joint governance is the choice of history, no-one can stop this, no-one can change this, only if we act in accordance with this and go in the right direction, will we be able to grasp the pulse of the times, and create and guide the future of humankind even better. For the sake of a common and beautiful future, we would like to share five standpoints with everyone:

I, Mutual appreciation instead of mutual denial. The Internet was born in the US, and marched into the world from the US, this is an important contribution that the US has made to human progress. China is the largest global Internet market, it has 4 million websites, 600 million netizens, and of the ten largest global Internet enterprises, 4 are Chinese, this year, the value of e-commerce trade alone is estimated to reach 2 trillion US dollars, and will grow at a rate of 30% per year. A few days ago, I was looking at the third quarter financial reports of Baidu, Alibaba, Dongjing and other such companies, their commercial income growth rate exceeds 50%, such growth is rare anywhere in the world. Such great achievements fully illustrate the fact that China’s Internet is open, they illustrate that China’s management is orderly, they illustrate that China’s reform and opening up is successful, they illustrate that the Chinese path that the Chinese people have chosen is correct, and they illustrate that the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party is strong. We must not only acclaim our similarities, we must also mutually appreciate our differences, enjoy our own beauty, that of others, create beauty everywhere, admire the superiorities of others, learn from their experiences, but not go and deny the opponent or change the opponent.

II, Mutual respect, instead of antagonism and criticism. Regardless of whether they are large of small, countries are equal. In cyberspace, we should mutually respect cyber sovereignty, mutually resect the choice of the other sides’ Internet governance mode, mutually respect the major concerns in the cyber arena, mutually respect differences in cyber culture, communicate deeply, move forward understanding and broaden consensus. 20 years of Chinese Internet development practice demonstrate that whichever foreign company has won a market, won users and won benefits in china, without exception, they have respected China’s market environment, and without exception, they have respected China’s laws and regulations. Especially the lively cases of US enterprises’ development in China tell us that by choosing respect, they can grasp opportunities and deeply merge into the torrent of Chinese Internet innovation and development, and create boundless value; by choosing opposition, they will leave the tracks, isolate themselves, and in the end, will be abandoned by the market.

III, Joint sharing and joint governance, instead of only paying attention to one’s own benefit. Chairman Xi Jinping pointed out that we must establish a multilateral, democratic and transparent international Internet governing system, and together build a peaceful, secure, open and cooperative cyberspace. This has become an important consensus in international cybergovernance. Large countries may be large, that does not mean their power is large, but it means their responsibility is large. Cyberspace may not become harmonious because of harmony between large countries, but it will certainly become overgrown with chaos, with utter disorder prevailing, when there is no trust between large countries. A responsible large country can absolutely not prevent other countries’ development for the sake of its own development, and can absolutely not harm other countries’ security for the sake of its own security. As long as we climb high and look far, and enthusiastically embrace a new era of joint cyberspace sharing and joint governance, we will certainly be able to transform the diversity of development into an inexhaustible dynamism and strong driver to promote the development of the global Internet, and let our posterity truly benefit from the magnificent changes that the Internet has brought to human societies.

IV, Communication and mutual trust, instead of mutual suspicion. China is the country with the most netizens in the world, for us, a clearer, peaceful and secure cyberspace is highly treasured; China is a major victim of cyber attacks, greater clarity about cybersecurity is highly important to us. The Chinese government has consistently opposed cyber attacks in any form. On questions of cybersecurity, China and the US must have more communication and more mutual trust, jointly attack cybercrime, cyber attacks, infringement of privacy and other such activities, jointly protect intellectual property rights, strongly attack cyber terrorism, and let the Internet become a cave of Alibaba, rather than Pandora’s box. I firmly believe that as long as we have wisdom and courage, cybersecurity can not only not become a breaking point for Sino-US relations, but can even become a new bright spot in Sino-US cooperation.

V, Cooperation and win win, instead of zero-sum games. The twenty years of China’s Internet development have been twenty years of mutual benefit and win-win, of coexistence and symbiosis with the US. Differences exist between the Chinese and the US Internet in areas such as market scale, business models, technological levels, talent training, etc., but these differences cannot become obstacles to cooperation. Exactly because we have broad differences, we are able to become much more strongly complementary, and we have limitless possibilities for cooperation and mutual benefit. With mutual trust and cooperation between the largest developed country and the largest developing country, the mutual impact of the most modern Western civilization and the longest-lasting Chinese culture, and the harmony between the most advanced information technologies and the broadest online market, Sino-US cooperation in the Internet area faces prospects that are even more vast than the Pacific Ocean!

Ladies, gentlemen, friends.

There is a famous phrase in Washington: “the true measure of a friend is in his actions, not in his words.” Chinese people also say “deeds are better than words.” As long as we start acting, build mutual trust in communication, and build win-win in cooperation, we will certainly be able to create beautiful futures for the Chinese and US Internet, and make historical contributions to promoting a new type of great power relationships between China and the US, and benefit both countries and even the people of the entire world!

Thank you, everyone!

沟通中互信 合作中共赢
——在第七届中美互联网论坛上的主旨演讲
（2014年12月2日）
鲁 炜
尊敬的凯瑟琳•诺韦利女士，
尊敬的克瑞格•蒙迪先生、沈向洋先生，
尊敬的邬贺铨先生，
女士们，先生们，朋友们：
大家上午好！今天，来自中美互联网领域的政府代表和业界精英齐聚华盛顿，共同迎来了第七届中美互联网论坛的开幕。我谨代表中国国家互联网信息办公室，对论坛的召开表示热烈的祝贺！对论坛主办方微软和中国互联网协会表示由衷的感谢！
去年以来，中国国家主席习近平与奥巴马总统把握大势、放眼未来，从加州安纳伯格“庄园会”，到北京中南海“瀛台会”，就共同构建中美新型大国关系达成重要共识，得到国际社会高度评价和广泛认同，推动两国关系进入了崭新的历史阶段。随着互联网突飞猛进的发展，中美网络关系受到前所未有的重视和关注，已经从商业的合作、民间的沟通，上升为两国交往的重点、各方关注的焦点，成为中美新型大国关系的重要内容，很大程度影响着两国的未来。新时期的中美网络关系，总体向好、稳步向前，但前进途中时有坎坷，主要呈现两大特征：
一是深度融合、利益攸关。中美两国在网络空间你中有我、我中有你，已经成为密不可分的发展共同体、利益共同体、命运共同体。中国是美国互联网企业的最大境外市场，几乎所有的美国知名互联网企业都在华享有巨额收益，高通公司一半利润来自中国，苹果设备新增用户一半来自中国，美国有近千家投资基金把中国作为重点，触角遍布中国互联网各领域，占外资投入的一半以上，美国企业的兴衰与中国市场紧紧相连。美国是中国互联网企业境外上市的主要目的地，中国互联网企业在美上市近50家，总市值近5000亿美元，美国股民分享了中国互联网市场发展的红利。最近，阿里巴巴在美上市，创造了全球史上最大规模的IPO，融资总额超过250亿美元，有专家分析认为，美国股民投给阿里巴巴的不仅仅是资金，更是对中国互联网的信心、对中国市场的信心、对中国未来的信心。
二是存在分歧、时有摩擦。昨天，我乘机从北京到华盛顿，横跨太平洋，飞行万余公里。我想，如此遥远的距离，如果没有往来，哪会产生分歧？正是因为中美互联网融合得越来越深，交流得越来越广，联系得越来越紧，我们的不同点才容易被放在放大镜和聚光灯下，加上文化的差异，一些问题自然就出现了分歧。比如，在网络空间治理上，美方讲“多利益相关方”，中方讲“多边”，这本来并不矛盾，没有“多边”，哪来“多利益相关方”的那个“方”呢？因为概念的不同而刻意夸大分歧，不仅无益于中美网络关系，也无益于世界互联网的共治和发展。
深度融合，因为充满信心；存在分歧，说明缺乏信任。有信心，却缺信任，这是当前中美网络关系中躲不开、绕不过的问题。中国古代有一则寓言故事叫“疑人偷斧”，讲的是从前有个人丢了一把斧子，他怀疑是邻居家的人偷走了，就暗地里观察。他看那个人走路的姿势，脸上的表情，说话的语气，一举一动都像是偷了斧子的样子。可过了几天，他在自家院子里找到了那把斧子，才想起是自己遗忘在院子里了。这时候他再看邻居家的人，怎么看都不再像偷了斧子的样子。这个看似简单的故事告诉我们，信任是多么可贵、多么重要，如果人与人之间缺乏信任，带着主观的偏见去看待他人，真实也会被误解为虚假，美好也会被幻化为丑恶。
纵观20年中美互联网交流发展史，双方尽管存在一些分歧，但是可以得出以下基本判断：我们在网络空间共识大于分歧，合作多于争端。习近平主席指出，志同道合是伙伴，求同存异也是伙伴。我们可以有分歧，但我们不能没有沟通；我们可以有争论，但我们不能没有信任。我们不能被乱花迷眼，也不能被浮云遮眼，而要端起历史规律的望远镜去细心观望。我们应当看到，中美两国合则两利，而且是多方获益；斗则两伤，甚至是伤害世界。中美应坚持正确的义利观，寻求更多利益汇合点，做朋友而不是对手，做真朋友而不是假朋友。我们应当看到，中国梦与美国梦在本质上是相通的，是和平、发展、合作、共赢的梦，我们追求的是中美人民的福祉，也是各国人民共同的福祉。我们应当看到，中美在网络空间共识是主流、合作是主流，我们不仅要求同存异，更要求同共进，让互联网给人类带来和平和安全，让互联网不给犯罪和恐怖主义提供渠道，让互联网有助于未成年人的成长，让互联网更多服务发展中国家的利益，因为他们更需要互联网，这也正是互联网发展的要义。我们应当看到，互联网把世界变成了地球村，大交流、大发展、大融合是时代的潮流，共享共治是历史的选择，谁也阻挡不了，谁也改变不了，只有顺势而为，相向而行，才能把握时代脉搏，更好地创造和引领人类的未来。为了共同的美好未来，我们愿与大家分享五点主张：
一、彼此欣赏而不是互相否定。互联网诞生于美国，从美国走向世界，这是美国为人类进步作出的重大贡献。中国是全球最大的互联网市场，有400万家网站，6亿多网民，世界互联网企业前10强中国有4家，今年仅电子商务交易额一项预计将达到2万亿美元，而且还将以每年30%的速度增长。几天前，我在网上看到百度、阿里巴巴、京东等公司的三季度财报，营业收入增幅均超过50%，这样的增幅在全世界都是少有的。如此巨大的成就，充分说明中国的互联网是开放的，说明中国的管理是有序的，说明中国的改革开放是成功的，说明中国人民选择的中国道路是正确的，说明中国共产党的领导是坚强有力的。我们不仅需要为相同而欢呼，更需要因不同而互鉴，各美其美，美人之美，美美与共，欣赏对方的优点，借鉴彼此的经验，而不是去否定对方、改变对方。
二、互相尊重而不是对立指责。国无大小，都是平等的。在网络空间，应当彼此尊重网络主权，彼此尊重对互联网治理模式的选择，彼此尊重在网络领域的重大关切，彼此尊重在网络文化上的差异，深入沟通，增进理解，扩大共识。20年来，中国互联网发展的实践证明，凡是外国企业在中国赢得市场、赢得用户、赢得效益的，无一例外地尊重中国的市场环境，无一例外地遵守中国的法律法规。特别是美国企业在华发展的鲜活案例告诉我们，选择了尊重，就能把握机遇，深深融入中国互联网创新发展的洪流，创造出无限的价值；选择了对立，就会偏离轨道，把自己孤立起来，最终被市场所抛弃。
三、共享共治而不是独善其身。习近平主席提出，要建立多边、民主、透明的国际互联网治理体系，共同构建和平、安全、开放、合作的网络空间。这已成为国际网络空间治理的重要共识。大国之大，不是权力之大，而是责任之大。网络空间也许不会因为大国之间的和睦而和睦，但一定会因为大国之间的不信任，而乱象丛生、混乱不堪。作为负责任的大国，决不能为了自身发展而遏制别国发展，决不能为了自身安全而侵犯别国安全。而且，离开了国际网络空间的安全和发展，任何国家的绝对安全、一枝独秀也都是不存在的。只要我们登高望远，热情拥抱网络空间共享共治的新时代，我们就一定能够把发展的多样性，转化为推动世界互联网发展的无穷活力和强大动力，让我们的后代真正受益于网络给人类社会带来的伟大变革。
四、沟通互信而不是相互猜疑。中国是全球网民最多的国家，我们更清楚和平安全的网络空间是多么可贵；中国是网络攻击的主要受害国，我们更明白网络安全是多么重要。中国政府一贯反对任何形式的网络攻击。在网络安全问题上，中美应更多地沟通，更多地互信，共同打击网络犯罪、网络攻击、侵犯隐私等行为，共同保护知识产权，严厉打击网络恐怖主义，让互联网成为阿里巴巴的宝库，而不是潘多拉的魔盒。我坚信，只要我们拿出智慧和勇气，网络安全不仅不会成为中美关系的分歧点，而且会成为中美合作的新亮点。
五、合作共赢而不是零和博弈。中国互联网发展的20年，是与美国互利共赢、融合共生的20年。中美互联网在市场规模、运营机制、技术水平、人才培养等方面存在差异，但差异不能成为合作的障碍。正是因为我们有广泛的差异性，我们才拥有更强的互补性，我们才拥有合作共赢的无限可能。当最大的发达国家与最大的发展中国家互信合作，当最现代的西方文明与最悠久的中华文化相互碰撞，当最先进的信息技术与最广阔的网络市场水乳交融，中美互联网领域的合作前景一定比太平洋还要宽广!
女士们、先生们、朋友们，
华盛顿有句名言，“衡量朋友真正的标准是行动而不是言语。”中国人也讲，“行胜于言”。只要我们行动起来，在沟通中互信，在合作中共赢，就一定能够不断开创中美互联网的美好未来，为推动中美新型大国关系发展、造福两国乃至世界人民作出历史性贡献！
谢谢大家！

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