The world will witness a big advancement of information technology in the coming five to 10 years, and e-commerce will be an important element contributing to the trend. It’s predicted that the global e-commerce trade volume will exceed US$1,200 billion in 2003. It is also a key period for China to vigorously develop e-commerce so as to accelerate its modernization drive. These viewpoints are shared by people attending a forum entitled E-Commerce During the Period of Globalization.
Jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Information Industry and several IT organs, the meeting, which opened yesterday in Zhuhai city in Guangdong Province and will last for three days, is specially devoted to the development of e-commerce in China. Participants are government officials in relation to IT industry, IT business people and economists. What is commonly shared is that China has to step up the development of e-commerce, making it a driving force to lead to a rapid development of the country’s IT industry as well as its economy.
“E-commerce must be combined with traditional sectors to provide value-added services.” Lu Xinkui, vice minister of Information Industry, said at the meeting.
According to Lu, the development of e-commerce in China will bear three characteristics. First of all the traditional enterprises, especially small and medium-size ones, are engaged in e-commerce with smaller investment but covering wide-range customers. Next, the ordinary consumers can use various electronic information terminals to enjoy services provided by E-commerce. A rational, consumer oriented e-commerce operation mode should be established, to make e-commerce a new growth point in national economic development
Lu also urged great efforts be made in drawing up a unified e-commerce standard. In the mean time the exchange and cooperation with foreign information industries should be enhanced.
“The key to a fast development e-commerce in China is to establish a standard regulating the operation and service. This standard can enable traditional enterprises to easily setup its own e-commerce mode.” Song Ling, director of the Department of Promotion of Information Technology under the Ministry of Information Industry, said.
Talking about China’s e-commerce development strategy, Song Ling said: “An e-commerce development strategy should include several principles which are highly-developed application technology, market mechanism, commonly established network, commonly shared resources, technical innovation, fair competition and opened market.
While introducing Guangdong’s e-commerce development, You Ningfeng, vice-governor of Guangdong Province, said that the province’s e-commerce development strategy can be summed up as being “one platform, two centers and three bases.”
“One platform is a provincial-level information platform. Two centers are those respectively devoted to the information exchange and e-commerce in South-China region. We will try our best to build the Zhujiang River Delta to be an international leading electronic information production base, an important national software base and an advanced sample base of information promotion and application,” Vice Governor You said.
(www.china.org.cn by Xu Zhiquan 04/19/2001)
