On Thursday, Chinese Ambassador to the UN Sha Zukang restated China's view on international management of the internet at a UN internet governance conference in Geneva.

He said it should "ensure equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure stable and secure functioning."

He also stressed that governments should play a leading role in the decision-making process, since the responsibility for internet-related public policy issues lies with sovereign states.

The situation in which internet governance is monopolized by one state, one cooperation or a handful of private organizations neither facilitates further growth, nor fully embodies the principle of equity and full representation, said the Chinese ambassador.

"It is of crucial importance to conduct research on establishing a multilateral governance mechanism that is more rational and just and more conducive to the internet's development in a direction of stable, secure and responsible functioning and more conducive to continued technological innovation," he said.

He also told the conference that China has become one of the countries with the largest number of internet users. By last December, the number worldwide had reached 810 million while that of China was around 94 million, 11.6 percent of the total.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2005)