Official fears 'foreign ideological penetration' in cyberspace  

A Chinese Internet administration official has noted increasing "foreign ideological penetration" in cyberspace and said that countering it will be a key issue that matters to the country's future.

The Sunday edition of the People's Daily quoted Wang Xiujun, deputy director of the State Internet Information Office, as saying that hostile forces abroad are taking cyberspace as a major channel to infiltrate China, in attempts to undermine the country's social stability and national security.

Wang said these forces are trying to slander and make trouble with China via the Internet in the name of "Internet freedom."

Moreover, there are people conducting illegal and criminal activities or spreading harmful information via the Internet out of political or commercial purposes, she said.

According to Wang, China's cyber security should ensure safety in the fields of ideology, information, technology, application, capital and channels, with political and ideological security the most fundamental issue.

She also noted the need for securing the country's Internet and information systems.

The revelations concerning the U.S. National Security Agency have indicated that certain countries are using their advantages in Internet resources and technologies to carry out online surveillance and espionage of others' political, economic and military secrets as well as personal privacy, the official said.

In some cases, they have also exerted control over other countries' key Internet and information networks, she added.

Wang said that cyber security should also go hand in hand with the country's informationization cause and called for the formulation of the country's development strategy, macro-planning and major policies regarding these fields to be accelerated.

Management of the Internet environment and formulation of laws, rules and technical standards should likewise be enhanced, in her view.

The People's Daily also reported that Wu Hequan, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, listed mobile Internet, cloud computing, the Internet of Things and industrial control systems as major sectors facing cyber security concerns.

Wu called for greater efforts by China in independent technological innovation and talent pool building as well as more commitment in international Internet management.