Over 250 high-ranking officials, experts and business delegates from 20 countries including China, the United States, Canada, Britain, Germany, India, Thailand and Vietnam are attending the two-day symposium.

Frannie A. Leautier, vice-president of the World Bank, said China's hosting of the event would help the country quicken its digitization process and provide a chance for the World Bank to learn from the advanced technologies of China.

Lou Qinjian, Vice-Minister of the Information Industry, said a technical revolution with information technology as the major driving force had swept China and the world since 1990.

China had the second largest number of Internet users in the world and about 4.2 percent of the country's gross domestic product was generated by the information industry, he said.

Jin Liqun, Vice-Minister of Finance, said more and more investment had been channeled into the education and public health fields, especially education related to information technologies.

To minimize the digital gap within the international community, delegates were encouraged to share their experience and provide financial support to less-developed countries.

(Xinhua News Agency December 10, 2002)