It is clearly difficult to manage Internet governance within one single country. International communication and cooperation is necessary. However, the WGIG and the IGF, established through the United Nations as the international platform, are still at the stage of seeking "consensus on principles." At present the IGF is defined as an agency for proposals and a platform to discuss issues, but not as a policy-maker or a body for the implementation of agreed measures. Hence, states are forced to apply bilateral or multilateral mechanisms for inter-governmental coordination and cooperation; otherwise governance remains a theoretical principle.
It is essential that China and the U.S. build cooperation on Internet governance, especially at governmental level, since both countries exert enormous influence in both the real and the virtual world.
Firstly, in terms of managing infrastructure and strategic resources, an international and multilateral mechanism is required. Genuine authority and the executive power to make decisions are also necessary. To this end recognition by and participation of governments is essential. Secondly, both governments and Internet industry management bodies have to reach a consensus on the governance of Internet content and specific applications. At this point stakeholders can go on to implement specific governance programs.
Let's take the diversity of Internet languages as an example. This requires the development, translation and coexistence of different languages, the multilingual query of domain names, e-mail addresses and key words, and the elimination of the language and digital divide for minority languages and less developed regions. In order to handle these issues, bilateral or multilateral governmental protocols are necessary, and the participation and solicitation of such specific stakeholders as enterprises and individuals is required.
Bilateral cooperation is more than a theoretical discussion; it should aim to establish an effective cooperation mechanism to solve problems of governance and hence achieve its aims. A practical Sino-U.S. solution can also be a model for coordinated governance between other parties.
In my opinion, four words can be used to describe the principles of Sino-U.S. cooperation. These are: coexistence, complementation, integration and innovation. The two countries need to coexist in a spirit of mutual respect and complement each other based on coexistence. Complementation will bring about integration, which will result in innovation. The two sides can achieve cooperation in a number of different ways: building a platform for high-level talks such as the present mechanism of annual meetings; establishing a permanent working group; and designing an online working platform to communicate and sound early warnings via the Web.
The Internet has opened a gate for everyone in the world to a "people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society." Nowadays, most countries have reached a consensus on the network's principles, i.e. equality, openness, security, access and diversity. Every individual, organization and country should apply real effort to converting this ideal social construct into reality. China and the U.S., as the two countries with the most Internet users in the world, should make the greatest contribution to achieving order for a network society liberated from national boundaries.
(China.org.cn November 8, 2008)