The development of an information security system will play a decisive role in the information industry of China, said Minister of Science and Technology Xu Guanhua Thursday in Shanghai.

"Information security has become the bottle neck of the informatization of the country," said Xu Kuangdi, mayor of the city. "An informatization project, if it lacks reliable security support, will be a substandard project."

Xu Guanhua told a meeting on information security held yesterday that the development focus will be laid on domestically developed security products with patent rights.

"China has placed less emphasis than it should have on the use of intellectual property rights in the past," Xu said.

Xu said that to protect the patent right of information security products is to protect the rights of the country and the development of the industry.

Two information security industry centers have been set up, one in Chengdu of Sichuan Province and the other in Zhangjiang of Shanghai.

"We will try to build Shanghai into the largest information security research and development center and industry center," Xu Kuangdi said.

"As our technical level lags behind that of the developed countries, we will try to make up a little with our administration system," he said.

Xu required that each newly developed informatization project should have installed auxiliary security systems, with both launched and used at the same time.

Xu Kuangdi urged that more capital be invested in information security.

"We will set up a fund for this industry when conditions are ripe," Xu said.

(China Daily 04/27/2001)