In Hong Kong on Monday the Forum of the International Telecommunication Union's Telecom World 2006 opened at the Asia World-Expo.

During the five-day event the government, industry leaders, experts and professors are to discuss the development of telecommunication technologies using the theme of Living the Digital World. Major topics included in the Forum's agenda are a digital lifestyle, eco-system and society.

Wang Xudong, Chinese minister of the Information Industry, told the opening ceremony that the development of modern science and technology had enabled people to live in a digital world.

The Internet had joined different parts of the world and information technology dominated social life on the whole, deeply changing people's work, study and lifestyles, Wang said.

"We're facing a major task to set up an information society in which all people and every nation can share the benefits," Wang observed.

Wang called for joint efforts in the construction of telecom infrastructure, the wider application of information technology, the narrowing of "the digital gap," the setting up of a safer Internet environment and the widening of multi-dimensional international cooperation.

Henry Tang, financial secretary of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, urged public policy makers to produce "an ideal and secure environment" for all walks of the life to obtain knowledge, information and to display creativity in the digital world.

The Hong Kong official said access to knowledge was the significant wealth of the digital world and governments had to play their role to protect intellectual property in an effort to enlarge the reserves of knowledge.

Tang said governments had to take the responsibility to close "the digital gap" adding that many of the world economies, developed and developing, had no chance to gain information in "the digital way." Governments had to provide needy communities with the equipment and finance in their education and training to narrow "the digital gap."

The Telecom World 2006, which opened Sunday, has two sections: an Exhibition and the Forum.

(Xinhua News Agency December 5, 2006)