The concern over cyber security was one of the issues raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to the National Congress on Wednesday (Jul 16). He believes the international community needs to work to guarantee the nations’ sovereignty in this area.

“The international community should make a joint effort to build a peaceful, safe, open and cooperative cyber space; and create an international governance system for the internet that is multilateral, democratic and transparent, in compliance with the principles of mutual respect and trust by means of an efficient international cooperation,” said Xi Jinping in his speech at the Chamber of Deputies.

Without making any direct references to the surveillance scheme carried out by US National Security Agency in nations allied with the US, Xi Jinping condemned the current management model in the cyber environment. “Advanced though they may be, internet technologies must not be used to violate cyber sovereignty, There’s no room for double standards in the cyber arena, in which all countries have the right to defend their own security. It’s not acceptable that some countries should remain safe while others don’t. No country should attain the so-called absolute security at the expense of others,” he pointed out.

Xi Jinping also stressed the key role played by China and Brazil in the world, which has been undergoing major transformations and crises, especially in the economic field, particularly due to multipolarization. In his view, the two countries should stick to the principles in the Charter of the United Nations and strengthen the collaboration among international mechanisms such as the World Trade Organization, G20 (the world’s 20 biggest economies), and BRICS, with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

“As the largest developing countries in the eastern and western hemispheres, China and Brazil, by materializing their own development, should actively fulfill their international responsibilities and focus their efforts to safeguard international justice and promote the development of the international order in a fairer and more reasonable manner,” said China’s head of state.

He went on to note that China has been Brazil’s greatest commercial partner for five years in a row and that Brazil is a key target for China’s investments in Latin America. In Xi Jinping’s opinion, this can be accounted for by the fact that “there is no development model that suits all countries,” so that the two countries must keep searching for new suitable strategies for their particular realities.

Throughout his speech, in an attempt to show friendly relations with the Latin American peoples, the Chinese president also mentioned architect Oscar Niemeyer, novelist Paulo Coelho and Venezuelan leader Simón Bolívar, stressing the need for further unity among developing countries for the pursuit of common interests. Xi Jinping said he will take part in a meeting with leaders from China, Latin America and the Caribbean on Thursday (Jul 17). He also plans to exchange views with colleagues from the region regarding governance experiences, and international and regional topics relevant to all.

Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Brazilian Congress marked the 40th anniversary of the reestablishment of the diplomatic ties between both nations