China Scores Information Technology Goal
 

China has become one of the world's leading information technology powers, achieving one of its Ninth Five-Year Plan (1996-2000) goals a year early.

The State Development Planning Commission (SDPC) is currently drawing up the country's first ever "social information" plan for the forthcoming 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-05), considered a milestone in the country's information industry.

SDPC has been keeping a close eye on the development of the international IT.

SDPC is shifting its function from making plans for the IT industry to following the development trends of the market.

In the past two years, the commission has researched a wide range of products, including satellite mobile telecommunications, telecommunications reform, software development strategies, overseas postal systems and new types of computer screens.

The commission has also played a key role in making policies for local mobile telecom regulations, reforming China's telecom industry, developing VCD products and developing the software industry.

SDPC is currently looking at putting support policies in place to protect e-commerce.

SDPC has organized many important projects to deal with problems which have been a barrier to the growth of China's IT industry. Among these projects, localizing mobile telecom equipment services and developing high-resolution televisions have had good feedback.

To help achieve the aims of the new policies in encouraging software and integrated circuits development, SDPC said it would promote the export of software products, introduce more venture capital and promote building software parks.

Promoting cooperation with leading international powers is SDPC's other important role.

It has set up links with Japanese counterparts and US mobile telecom giant Motorola.

Under a recent Sino-Japanese agreement, bilateral cooperation will last five years, and the Japanese Government has made an offer of economic aid worth 2.5 billion yen (US$23.15 million) to China's IT sector.

The two sides will jointly develop information system projects in China, focusing on logistics, remote education, remote hospitals, agricultural development and disaster prevention.

To improve management standards in State-owned enterprises, SDPC and Motorola have kicked off a training project for personnel in about a thousand firms over the next five years. To date, 347 companies have received training and six have now set up modern management systems.

Some of these companies will become Motorola's local and global equipment providers.



(China Daily 11/06/2000)



 
   
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