China's new rules on internet platforms are "timely and necessary," Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang said on Monday.

It was the first time Alibaba had commented in public since China published rules aimed at preventing monopolistic behavior by internet platforms on November 10.

Speaking at the World Internet Conference, Zhang said Chinese internet companies have moved to the forefront of the global industry with the help of government policies, but regulations need to evolve.

The industry's "development and government supervision is a relationship that promotes and relies on each other, so that platform enterprises cannot only develop well themselves, but also serve the sustainable and healthy development of the whole society," he said.

The annual event from November 23 to 24 organized by the Cyberspace Administration of China takes place as the country's internet giants, including Alibaba, Tencent Holdings and Meituan, face increasing government scrutiny.

Earlier this month, the planned $37 billion share market listing of Alibaba affiliate Ant Group was suspended after regulators warned its lucrative online lending business faced tighter scrutiny.

Alibaba's e-commerce marketplaces and payment services are also expected to face greater oversight under the draft rules published on November 10 by China's market regulator, which said it wanted to prevent platforms from dominating the market or from adopting methods aimed at blocking fair competition.

Read more: Ant Group's IPO in Shanghai and Hong Kong halted

Zhang is one of the few Chinese technology chiefs to appear publicly at the event after it was scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other chief executives such as Qualcomm Inc's Steve Mollenkopf delivered remarks via video.

(With input from Reuters)