Q: On July 1, in its 'Letter to the parliament on measures to protect telecom networks and 5G', the Dutch government intended to take security measures based on its risk assessment of 5G network. The Chinese telecommunication companies, such as Huawei, were not excluded from the construction of the 5G network, but the Dutch telecom providers were required to take additional security measures. One of these measures is to set extra high requirements for suppliers of services and products in the critical parts of the telecom network. What is your comment on this?

A: We noted the relevant news released by the Dutch government and we welcome the Dutch government's attitude of not taking restrictive measures against a specific country or company in the construction of 5G networks.

International cooperation in science and technology is an important driving force of scientific and technological progress. The technological cooperation between Chinese and Dutch enterprises in high-tech fields including 5G, conforms to the law of human social development and serves the common interests of both countries as well as that of the international community. The leaders of China and the Netherlands have repeatedly emphasized on different occasions that we should jointly maintain an open and free investment and trade environment, and promote scientific and technological innovation cooperation on the basis of rule of law, which is crucial for the development of the world economy. We hope that the Dutch side will continue to provide an open, transparent and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese high-tech enterprises to invest and operate in the Netherlands.

Cyber security is a global challenge. It's natural that countries are concerned about it. However, this challenge could only be tackled through effective international cooperation. Unfounded speculation, attacks and suppression would not help addressing this concern at all. It will only poison the atmosphere for cooperation and bring more uncertainty to this information era. The Chinese government has consistently been advocating building a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and orderly cyberspace, and has been opposing and cracking down on all forms of cyber attacks and theft. China stresses, as always, that it did not and will not require any internet enterprises to install 'backdoors' or assist in the collection of foreign intelligence information. Meanwhile, China is explicitly opposed to such practices carried out by certain countries. We sincerely hope that the Dutch government will adhere to its independent, objective and fair position, distinguish right from wrong by analyzing the facts, and work together with the Chinese side and other relevant parties to address the cyber security challenges by strengthening communication and cooperation.