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BEIJING, April 18-- In today's China, it does not take long for one to see the country's thriving Internet sector. In any city, people use their mobile phones every day to shop, order food, hail a car, pay utilities and do many other things. All in all, China has 700 million Internet users, more than 4 million websites, the world's most extensive 4G network and a huge online marketplace. Its retail transactions combined are larger than anywhere else. The country's Internet industry began to develop in the 1990s but the pace notably picked up in the last two decades. Take the Internet infrastructure for example. In 2017 alone, China added 7.05 million kilometers of optic fiber, extending its total length in the country by 23.2 percent. The watershed event: a key speech made by President Xi Jinping on April 19, 2016 on the work of cybersecurity and informatization. The speech and many others made by Xi since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2017 showed the strategic thinking on building China's cyber strength. A state plan on developing a "digital China" over the next decade was issued. Substantial progress is aimed in the five years starting 2016. Three principles have been made clear. Firstly, China's cyberspace development should adhere to the people-centered development philosophy. Xi has said that Internet-based services should be expanded to reach more people, costs be lowered, and the majority of people benefit. | 
