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Forum Focuses on Information Networking
A forum aiming to network China's information infrastructure among companies in different cities kicked off in Beijing on November 23.
The heads of four municipalities, 40 Chinese cities, and Hong Kong and Macao were talking at the three-day Forum on Municipal Information Infrastructure.
In order to keep up with the rapid development of its new economy around the world and to join the economic globalization, the Chinese Government started carrying out national information restructuring in the early 1990s.
So far, major Chinese cities, particularly coastal and southeastern ones such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shen-zhen and Ningbo, have set up their own digital frameworks composed of government information platforms, e-commerce, science and education nets and social pension and community service information.
"To enhance the comprehensive power of the nation as a whole, the municipal information infrastructure should be regarded as a technology innovation project requiring co-operation between various departments, industries and regions," Lu Xinkui, vice-minister of the information industry, pointed out.
Lu called for all cities to take technology and equipment on board and share methods of implementing it through exchanges, at the same time attracting foreign support.
"Every city's information infrastructure development objectives and application solutions will have positive influence on information infrastructure and also offer a convincing scientific support to the nation," Lu added.
Lin Wenyi, vice-mayor of Beijing, acknowledged that one of the core tasks of building Beijing into an international metropolis is completing the "digital Beijing" project, which needs hefty capital and technological support from home and abroad.
"In addition to preferential policies, we will spare no pains to improve the related laws and offer a fair and sound competing arena for investors," Lin pledged.
The long-awaited regulations on Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park, the symbol of Beijing's high-tech industry and the backbone for the city's information infrastructure, are expected to be issued by the end of this year.
Echoing the mayor's remarks, a group of foreign companies, including the US-based Cisco Systems Inc, Finland-based Nokia and Sweden-based Ericsson, expressed their willingness to get involved in China's municipal information infrastructure.
Along with the forum, China International Municipal Information Infrastructure and Administration Exhibition is being held between November 23 and 26 in the Beijing International Exhibition Centre.
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