MIIT and CNCERT Co-Host Network Security Summit

On May 27 and 28, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the China National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical team (CNCERT) co-hosted the Computer Network Security Summit in Wuhan, Hubei province.

According to a report on the MIIT website, at the summit, MIIT Chief Engineer Zhang Feng emphasized the "long list of substantial network security challenges that have accompanied the rapid growth of the Internet in China," and outlined five top priority tasks for MIIT and CNCERT:
• Raise awareness of the urgent need to improve network security
• Develop a "master plan" overall system for guaranteeing network security
• Strengthen data security, with an emphasis on online data and user data
• Deepen coordination, both within China and with outside entities
• Enhance network security talent development, cultivate a high quality "team" of network security experts
Shen Changxiang, a well-known academician from the China Academy of Sciences, offered additional remarks, asserting that "networks" have become the fifth major area of national sovereignty, after land, sea, air and space, and that China must overcome serious challenges in order to safeguard network security and sovereignty.