Experts on Thursday called on the international community to work together to strengthen cyber security and combat disinformation amid increased risks of cyber attacks.

They made the remarks at a seminar titled "Cyber Security: Governance and Trends" held by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Zhang Yuyan, director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at CASS, said the rapid development of the internet is a double-edged sword.

"Digital development has played a huge role in promoting global economic growth, with many customers and manufacturers finding a lot of benefits," Zhang said.

But he cautioned the world is also facing more challenges rising from the advance of internet technology, including social division and cyber attacks.

Lang Ping, senior fellow and head of the national security division of the institute, highlighted the information war during the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"Security risks have always been there since the beginning of the commercialization and globalization of the Internet. But the Ukraine crisis has brought it from the backstage to the front and made our cyberspace more unstable and complex," Lang said, adding the security risk probably would last for a long time even after the conflict is over.

Lang called on the international community to combat mutual security threats and establish roles under the framework of the United Nations via negotiation and consultation.

Rogier Creemers, a researcher in modern Chinese studies in Leiden University and an associate fellow of the Hague Program on International Cyber Security at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, said governments worldwide believe giant tech companies should be put under stricter regulation.

"We thought these giants are doing more good than harm and would keep doing good things. But we found something different in the past few years. The things they have done may bring about concerns of monopoly and violations of privacy and consumer rights. I hope this will change in the future."