Cyberspace shouldn't be a new battlefield

The 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa, from Monday to Tuesday is undoubtedly a preparatory gathering for the BRICS Summit to be hosted by South Africa next month.

It provided developing countries with a platform to share their experiences, wisdom and practices on cybersecurity so as to better coordinate their efforts to improve good governance in cyberspace. That is becoming an urgent task given the developed countries' increasingly obvious intention of taking advantage of their strengths in technology, finance and infrastructure to turn the internet from a public good to a leverage they can use to protect hegemony and vested interests, instigate divisions and confrontation, and incite coups and unrest.

As reflected by remarks of the participants at the meeting, cybersecurity is a common challenge developing countries face, and thanks to the high penetration of the internet, cybersecurity should be regarded as a key foundation of national security, as important as food and energy security. As such, they have reached a consensus that they have to strengthen strategic communication and make clear the direction of cooperation to safeguard their common interests.