The first 20 years of the 21st century will be a strategic period that China cannot afford to let pass as China is set to make great leaps in the field of Information, said Wang Xudong, minister of the information industry, recently in Beijing. To achieve this goal, the minister outlined six key points for the industry’s development.

China intends to further restructure the electronic information product manufacturing industry in order to upgrade China to a manufacturing giant, from quantity to quality. While the global electronic information product industry is restructuring, China should firmly seize the opportunity and make good use of the global trend to establish a national-scale electronic information industrial base. The ministry will implement a “large corporation” strategy to help form some large corporations with an internationally competitive edge and foster some leading enterprises with high value-added products, heavy market shares and strongly competitive kernels.

It intends to accelerate the developing pace of the industry and maintain a high-return growth momentum. China will accelerate reconstructing, optimize and upgrade work for the current network to the next-generation information network. The 3rd generation mobile communication will be promoted and the application of new technology enhanced to foster new business growth. Policies for guiding the industry’s development will be better implemented to guarantee a sound development environment for software, IC, digital TV and mobile communication segments.

Governments at various levels should progressively establish and improve the information system to engage in E-government. Enterprises should also adopt information technology to upgrade and optimize the traditional industry so as to increase competency.

The Ministry of Information Industry will better guide the industry in strict line with the law to ensure inter-access of different operating networks and regulate the economic order of the telecom market. The ministry will also enhance comprehensive planning and macro guidance for the industry and work to maintain its sustainable development through appropriate guiding, regulating, monitoring and serving.

According to China’s commitment to the World Trade Organization, China is bound to allow foreign capital’s access into the domestic telecom service market. Electronic enterprises will be aided to set up outbound branch factories and engage in outsourcing projects to increase electronic product exports. Telecom operating enterprises will also be encouraged to expand internationally.

(China.org.cn by Alex Xu, October 4, 2003)