Premier Zhu Calls for More Efforts to Boost IT Industry

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, December 28, 2001

Premier Zhu Calls for More Efforts to Boost IT Industry

While presiding over the recently convened first meeting of the national leading group on informatization, Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji called for greater efforts and better coordination to push forward China's information industry in a market-oriented way and prevent redundant building of infrastructure.

Central leading group on informationalization

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji has called for greater efforts and better coordination to push forward China's information industry in a market-oriented way and prevent redundant building of infrastructure.

Zhu, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, made the call while presiding over the recently convened first meeting of the national leading group on informationalization.

Also present were vice-heads of the leading group, including Hu Jintao, Li Lanqing, Ding Guangen and Wu Bangguo.

In August, the group was formed in accordance with a decision by the CPC Central Committee to strengthen leadership over the development of the country's information technology.

Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and president, has called for attaching great importance to the information industry, saying it is indispensable to the four modernizations. (Jiang's Message In Detail)

The meeting adopted a set of regulations on the group's work and heard a report from another vice head, Zeng Peiyan, on plans for developing the country's information technology for the Tenth Five-Year Plan period and the focus of work in the sector for next year.

Factors to be improved in IT developing

Starting in the 1990s, China's IT industry has rapidly developed into a pillar of the national economy.

China's IT industry has mostly centered on the building of hardware, while development of software has lagged behind, according to the meeting.

Meanwhile, the country is weak in the development of key technology and depends heavily on the imports of crucial hardware and software, the participants said.

Moreover, there has been far too much redundant construction of networks and databanks, and difficulties in the sharing of networking resources, they said.

Also during the meeting, worries about the security of the country's information networks were expressed.

Policy-making stressed

Participants said the IT industry should be developed in line with the market demand, urging the government to take the lead in boosting the sector.

Development of the IT industry should integrate with and upgrade traditional sectors; follow the principles of networking and sharing the resources; and attach importance to international cooperation while strengthening self-reliance in research, they said.

The meeting made a decision to set up an expert consultative committee for policy making in these matters.

China's Information Industry Realized Sustainable, Fast, Sound Development

Lu Xinkui, vice minister of Information Industry said July 23 at the "Forum on City Informationization Construction and Management in Western Region" that China's informationization construction has been brought onto a track of sustainable, fast and healthy development.

Lu said that the recent 10 years have seen the annual output value of information industry grow by 25 percent, 3 times faster than China's GDP growth. In the year 2000, China's GDP grew by 7.1 percent comprising 1 percent contributed by information industry. (Full Story)

More information at theMinistry of Information Industry (Chinese)

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