China’s Cybersecurity Effort

Last week, my attention was caught by the news that the Cybersecurity week was launched in China, which was an important time for the tech industry. It marked the culmination of the country’s top executives, Government officials, and entities gathering to exchange ideas and discuss new ways of improving existing Cybersecurity measures while making room for adapting new and emerging technology.

China is one of the most rapidly developing countries in the 21st century. Their citizens are making great strides in cutting-edge technology and education. China is also a significant player in the cyber security industry. As China’s global presence grows, so do its Cybersecurity technologies and methods to develop and strengthen its cyber security efforts.

Many global brands, such as Apple’s manufacturing facilities, are located in China, as are some of the world’s most prominent tech companies, including Huawei, the global leader in secure encrypted 5G technology. It is imperative China has a strong presence in this space to help its international partners conduct business securely and promote global peace and stability while making thy cyber world as safe as possible for all to navigate.

China has the world’s largest population, an estimated 1.4 billion people, as of 2022. It is also home to the most extensive digital community on the earth, with about 1.05 billion users. With so many citizens connected to the web and its anticipated yearly increase, the Government of China continues to search for and implement innovative ways to protect Cybersecurity. One initiative was forming its Cybersecurity week, which started in 2014. It is an annual event promoting national awareness of Cybersecurity and helping people protect themselves by understanding more about online security risks.

The case of cyberattack on China’s Northwestern Polytechnical University by the US National Security Agency once again shows that safeguarding national Cybersecurity is extremely important. It cannot be overstated how important it is to have an annual Cybersecurity awareness campaign.

Every day, massive amounts of data in various forms are sent to and from China. This includes roughly 45 billion daily messages from WeChat, and that’s only one network. The more data that circulates, increases the opportunity for a cyber attack. Making the annual Cybersecurity event crucial to staying up to date on the latest trends and vulnerabilities solutions to protecting a person’s identifiable information.

Many Chinese citizens use cyber security tools to protect themselves from cyber-attacks. They do this at home or work every day. People use these tools to protect their personal information from hackers and data thieves. Online safety has been made possible by Chinese ingenuity.

Cybercrime is a growing global problem. Many believe that cybercrimes are rising due to increased internet connectivity and the growing population. These increases create a larger pool of potential victims and perpetrators alike.

Cybercrimes have, at one point, affected the work and privacy of the Government and private entities. It is also unfortunate that some organizations are inconsistent in their efforts to protect their assets and ensure Cybersecurity. One misstep or lapse in judgment will allow experienced hackers to penetrate the most impeccable systems, bypassing any security measure.

Cybersecurity is an active field in China; China firmly opposes and combats all forms of cyber attacks in accordance with law and will never encourage, support or condone cyber attacks. With its annual Cybersecurity event, the country is asserting its presence in the tech sectors.

In Canada, the Federal Government has dedicated the month of October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. According to the website of the office of the Minister of Public Safety, The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Cybercrime in Canada causes more than $3 billion in economic losses each year, which can account for why the Government has budgeted close to $1 Billion to fight cybercrime from 2019-2024. 

As many countries are seeing the need to step up their efforts to combat Cybersecurity, Canada and China have a mutual interest in cooperating in this field. Together, both countries account for tens of billions in annual global trade, and any cyber attack can result in catastrophic effects on their economies.