China Reaffirms Opposition to a “Digital Iron Curtain”

What changed

China used the opening of the 2026 World Internet Conference in Wuzhen to restate its approach to internet governance and cybersecurity. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said China would support open innovation, technology transfer, knowledge sharing and digital infrastructure for Global South countries, while opposing a “digital iron curtain.” Premier Li Qiang delivered a keynote speech at the conference.

Why it matters

The message links China’s AI policy to a broader argument about who gets to shape the digital world. Mao said technology should expand people’s choices and capabilities, not turn them into dependents or deepen the divide in human development.

That gives China’s position four clear pillars: openness in innovation, security that it describes as trusted and controllable, wider access to digital benefits, and more multilateral internet governance. The emphasis on infrastructure and technical capacity for Global South countries also turns the statement outward. It presents China as a partner in building digital systems, not only as a country defending its own cybersecurity concerns.

The practical effect is still limited. No new policy, funding package, agreement or implementation timetable was announced. For now, this is a governing position stated at a major international technology forum: China says internet security should not become a reason to divide the digital world into sealed camps.