BEIJING - China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on Monday submitted a draft code ofconduct for information security, the first of its kind in the field, for discussion during theupcoming United Nations General Assembly.
The permanent representatives of China, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to the UN jointlysent the letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday, requesting him to circulatethe International Code of Conduct for Information Security as a formal UN document of the 66thsession of the General Assembly, Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
In the letter, the four ambassadors called on all countries to conduct further discussions on thecode, drafted by the four countries, under the UN framework in a bid to "reach consensus oninternational norms and rules that regulate states' conduct for information and cyber activitiesat an early date", said Xinhua.
The code is the first of its kind to put forward comprehensive and systematic proposals oninternational information security rules, according to Xinhua.
"We also hope that the code can provide a good basis for relevant international discussions,"Jiang Yu, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said on Tuesday when asked to comment on thesubmission of the draft code.
According to the code, its purpose is to identify states' rights and responsibilities in cyberspace,promote constructive and responsible behavior and enhance cooperation in addressingcommon threats and challenges in cyberspace.
The code requests states voluntarily subscribing to it to pledge not to use information andcommunication technologies (ICTs) including networks to carry out hostile activities or acts ofaggression that pose threats to international peace and security.
It also calls on states to cooperate in combating criminal and terrorist activities which use ICTs,to fully respect rights and freedom in cyberspace and to promote the establishment ofmultilateral, transparent and democratic international management of the Internet.
Wen Weiping, an expert with the School of Software and Microelectronics at Peking University,said the move by the four countries represented progress in unifying different existing rules inthe field, but warned that the road to a final agreement may be a long and arduous one.
Although codes on information security exist, such as those drafted by the United States andthe European Union, most of these focus on telecommunications, with few emphasizingcommunications between different countries.
Many nations also lack a common definition of cyber crime or common legal standards thatwould enable the prosecution of criminals operating offshore.
Wen also cautioned that given the fact that information security is closely connected withnational interests, non-binding international norms may sometimes be put aside while conflictstake place between different countries.
Teng Jianjun, a researcher with the China Institute of International Studies, said a global codeas proposed by China and the other countries might only serve as the first step in managingglobal information security, as it would be non-binding.
"It should be later elevated to be part of the Geneva Convention if it is really to exert influence,"said Teng.
Teng said that competition among a number of nations on drawing up cyber rules hasintensified in recent years as it is closely linked with national interests.
The US has set up a cyber war headquarters and recently announced its first unified cyberstrategy.
US Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said in his announcement of the cyber strategy onJuly 14 that "if the affect of some sort of action breached the threshold that the nation and thepresident and the Congress considered it an act of war, we would feel that we would havemilitary response as an option".
General James Cartwright, vice-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the USDepartment of Defense is currently in a research and development stage that will later informdecisions on where to best invest in its cyber offense capabilities.
Developed countries have also strengthened their cooperation, with the US proposing apartnership with Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, similar to the modethey adopted to share intelligence during the Cold War.
Compared with developed countries, China is vulnerable in the cyber world as it becomes moredependent on information technology, said Zhang Zhaozhong, a military strategist with theUniversity of National Defense.
"China's cyber strategy is defensive, and the developed countries have an upper hand in thecyber domain, as they have cutting-edge cyber technology, and they developed the computersand the operating systems".
Cui Haipei contributed to this story.
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