The Forum on the International Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Internet Civilizations, a subforum under the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference, kicks off in Xiamen City, southeast China’s Fujian Province on July 18, 2023. （Photo: China News Service/ Wang Dongming）

(ECNS) — The Forum on the International Exchanges and Mutual Learning Among Internet Civilizations, a subforum under the 2023 China Internet Civilization Conference, kicked off in Xiamen City, southeast China’s Fujian Province on Tuesday. Experts from home and abroad gathered the forum to explore the ways of strengthening cyber civilization exchanges.

“We use, need and rely on tools, networks and infrastructures linked to the internet civilization, which shape and forge almost all aspects of our social evolution, generating new challenges and problems, which need and require adequate and freely shared solutions,” said Michele Genovese, chairman of the International Joint Initiatives Belgium.

He also mentioned the problem of the digital divide, the material possibility for all human beings to have access to the advantages of interconnection, due to lack of financial, geographic, social and technical availability. “Other big problem, the potentially negative effects of internet use, such as internet addiction, harm to cognitive development, information overload, harm to public and private boundaries and harm to social relationships and communities,” he added.

Karim Alwadi, member of the Advisory Committee of China-Arab States Expo, said that in the eyes of foreign youths, China’s most prominent feature is no longer just its reputation as an infrastructure giant.

Currently, China’s high-speed railways, cross-border e-commerce, game companies, and social media platforms are all highly attractive to them, he said. China’s international public products have shifted from traditional infrastructure construction like road and hydropower projects to building networks, high-speed railways, media and gaming, he added.

He believes China’s rise has improved the lives of its people and benefited other countries around the world. And the Chinese success story has inspired developing countries.

Martin Albrow, Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences, addressed via video that China has been in the forefront in supporting global governance. In 2013, China first referred to the world having a shared destiny or future, which marked another step in its long march in leading progressive change in global governance, he said.

“The community of a shared future for mankind can be understood in any language. It comes naturally to the Chinese people and in turn contributes immensely to creating a common language for the globe,” he said.

“As soon as I moved to Xiamen University in 1988, I immediately saw China was nothing like the Western media had painted it,” said William Brown, professor at Xiamen University.

“I wrote letters to family and friends to help them see a more realistic picture, and then I wrote magazine articles. I’ve written about 20 books, but I quickly saw that a website would reach far more people than books,” he added.

William Brown believes the internet has changed life in ways we could have never imagined, but its greatest possibility is helping to bridge barriers between peoples and nations.

Rahman Bayramdurdyyev, Turkmenistan student at China’s University of Petroleum, expressed that the internet not only provides an excellent platform for people to understand and learn about China but also enables them to share stories as international students with the world from their own perspectives. Besides, it also provides a broad channel for him to tell the stories of Central Asia to Chinese teachers and friends, he believes.

Rahman said as international students, they should actively voice their opinions on the internet, build a positive image, spread positive energy, and serve as bridges to promote understanding and connectivity among people from different countries.