Cyberspace security, the Internet and information technology have been key in China's development, and the country has been striving to build itself into a major Internet power.
At a study session attended by China's top leaders, President Xi Jinping has asked for more independent innovation in the Internet and information technology, as well as enhanced cyberspace security, to secure China's future as an Internet power.
China, although a latecomer to the Internet, has made remarkable achievements in the development of Internet networks and services in the past two decades.
In 2015, the total value of the electronic information manufacturing industry in China reached 11.1 trillion yuan (around 1.66 trillion U.S. dollars). The country is now the world's largest e-commerce market, with online retail sales totalling 3.9 trillion yuan.
In the meantime, 700 million Chinese netizens use the Internet to study, work, and access public services, making China home to the world's largest online population.
However, the country clearly knows that it lags behind leading Internet powers in the world.
Serving its end in constructing a safe and controlled information technology system, China has vowed to seek major breakthroughs in the fields of high-performance computing, mobile communication, quantum communication, core chips and operating systems.
Keeping in mind that the Internet and information technology can be viewed as a double-edged sword, China has been calling for better cyberspace management, a positive and healthy cyber culture, as well as effective fighting of cyber crime.
The country is also determined to better harness the Internet in a bid to promote scientific decision-making by governments, improve social governance and create efficient public services.
From developing core technologies to utilizing the Internet to give a greater voice to the public, there is much more the country can do to cope with the opportunities and challenges that come with the Internet age.
