SCIO briefing on 4th World Internet Conference

Speakers:
Mr. Ren Xianliang, vice minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China

Ms. Ge Huijun, member of the Standing Committee of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee

Mr. Sheng Yongjun, Secretary of the CPC Tongxiang Municipal Committee in Zhejiang Province

Chairperson:
Hu Kaihong, spokesperson of the State Council Information Office of China

Date:
Nov. 16, 2017

Hu Kaihong:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference. As the Fourth World Internet Conference is approaching, we invited Mr. Ren Xianliang, vice minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China, Ms. Ge Huijun, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee, as well as Mr. Sheng Yongjun, secretary of the CPC Tongxiang Municipal Committee in Zhejiang Province, to introduce the preparatory work of the conference. They will also answer some of your questions.

Ren Xianliang:

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Welcome to this press conference. Now, I'd like to make an introduction of the work related to the Fourth World Internet Conference.

The conference will be held from Dec. 3 to 5 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. The Chinese government has attached great importance to it. Senior officials will be present and deliver speeches. Currently, the preparatory work is almost finished. Compared with the previous sessions, this year's conference has the following highlights.

First, this year's conference features a prominent theme and a clear-cut direction. The theme is, "Developing the Digital Economy for Openness and Shared Benefits – Building a Cyberspace Community of a Common Future." Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, reiterated his proposal of building a community involving a shared future for humanity in his report at the 19th CPC National Congress last month. As an important international event being held in China so soon after the CPC National Congress, the conference will thoroughly implement Xi Jinping's Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era and firmly reflect his proposal on the governance of cyberspace. We will focus on the digital economy and highlight the importance of openness and shared benefits. We will exert great efforts to build a platform for enhancing interconnectivity between China and other countries and for the achievement of a global internet that will be shared and governed by all. We hope such efforts will help to narrow the digital gap between developing and developed countries, and make contribution to governance of the global internet through China's solution of "jointly building a community of a shared future in cyberspace."

Second, this year's conference is highly informative with several new topics to be discussed. It will give full play to functions of the three major sections: forums, release of advanced technological achievements around the world and the "Light of the Internet Expo," as well as publicizing important development initiatives, such as the national cyber development strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative and the "Internet Plus" action plan. Focusing on the five sectors of the digital economy, cutting-edge technology, the internet and society, cyberspace governance, and exchange and cooperation, the conference will feature a total of 20 sub-forums focusing on various topics such as a sharing economy, artificial Intelligence, internet-driven poverty alleviation, online protection of underage users, and international cooperation along the "Digital Silk Road." The "Light of the Internet Expo" will gather more than 400 renowned internet enterprises and innovative companies to demonstrate trends in the global internet and advanced technologies. A number of the most advanced technological achievements this year will be unveiled. Different activities, including welcome banquets, memorial tree planting, special art performances and the "Wuzhen Gathering" will also be staged.

Third, the conference involves synergic efforts of the entire country and pools wisdom from across the world. Profundity and inclusiveness will be further explored with the support of an open policy. In doing so, we have extended our invitations to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Economic Forum (WEF), and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) to become our partners. We have also invited 32 international organizations, national ministries, industrial guilds and renowned enterprises to jointly host the event. A total of 26 institutes, universities and enterprises will join us in fostering the preparatory work for the conference, which is expected to attract 1,500 guests, including executives of international organizations, leaders and celebrities from the internet sector as well as experts and scholars worldwide.

Fourth, we are expecting fruitful achievements through age-old Chinese wisdom and the solutions China is offering. For the first time, we will publish two blue books, namely, "World Internet Development Report 2017" and "China Internet Development Report 2017," in an effort to offer a panoramic and objective view of internet capacity and the distinctive features among different countries as well as the present state and future course of China's internet development. Conclusive documents issued during the conference this year will contribute Chinese wisdom to global Internet governance and foresee the development in coming years. What we will publish simultaneously is a casebook of the best practices in global Internet developments, summarizing and referring to various international experiences. The conference will also press ahead with a slew of cooperative agreements between governments, social organizations and enterprises.

Fifth, we'll facilitate the conference proceedings with smarter software and hardware to ensure it can run smoothly. With another year-long preparation, the area of Wuzhen has been expanded, the ecological surroundings have been much improved and more infrastructures have been installed or revamped. We have introduced dozens of smart programs to upgrade the first-hand conference experience. The APP being launched this time can provide a variety of digital services. Besides, the cognitive technologies adopted for the recognition of car plates and faces will be available and individual cell phones can be used to summon a sightseeing bus simply by sweeping a two-dimensional code. Our 1,000 volunteers are expected to offer meticulous and considerate services. I believe some of you have already attended the previous three sessions as journalists, and your arrival this time will be a refreshing experience with the new look of Wuzhen.

The World Internet Conference has been successfully held for three consecutive years, having drawn immense attention and achieving broad consensus. Wuzhen has created an outstanding monument in the history of global Internet evolution. The curtain of the Fourth World Internet Conference will rise in less than 20 days and we expect to welcome you with the splendid sceneries of Wuzhen and the outstanding performance of the conference. Thank you.

Hu Kaihong:

Thank you, Mr. Ren. Now the floor is open to Ms. Ge.

Ge Huijun:

Good afternoon, everyone. The World Internet Conference is scheduled to kick off again for its annual meeting in Wuzhen. We always keep in mind General Secretary Xi Jinping's sincere concern and ardent expectations in Zhejiang Province and Wuzhen as well as his ideas for internet governance. We spare no efforts in making preparations for the conference and strive to fulfill the promise to make it better than before. Here, I'd like to invite you to Wuzhen to feel the changes the conference has brought to Zhejiang. I will introduce three new aspects.

First, to experience the evolvements of a millennium-old town. Over the past four years, every day in the water town of Wuzhen is a new day. This year, as a result of urban planning and renovation efforts, the newly developed downtown area accounts for nearly three-fifths of the previous total. Its picturesque scenery and the Wuzhen International Theatre Festival attract attention from all over the world. The town's vitality is stimulated by several internet projects, such as Wuzhen Comprehensive Experimental Zone for the Internet Innovation and Development, Wuzhen Big Data High-tech Industrial Park and Wuzhen Internet Featured Town which have all been approved, as well as a series of high-quality projects with a total investment of over one billion yuan. Wuzhen has become a smart town as a group of smart programs, including the Wuzhen intelligent old-age care system and the Wuzhen internet hospital, bring convenience and happiness to local life. The ancient town is even more charming thanks to the conference.

Second, to experience the latest achievements of smart technology. This year's conference will give more attention to displaying the world's top internet technologies. During the conference, Alibaba, Baidu, Huawei, SAP of Germany, Kaspersky Lab and other well-known domestic and overseas internet brands will unveil a batch of the latest cutting-edge achievements. We will also exhibit dozens of projects offering smart user experiences, such as Alibaba's unmanned supermarket, iFLYTEK translator machine,Utry smart robot and display of achievements in quantum communications. The information management and service level of the conference will be further enhanced. I believe we will have a cooler, more dazzling sensory experience.

Third, to experience the highlights of the conference agenda. Apart from major events such as the opening ceremony, forums, the Light of the Internet Expo and the Release Ceremony of World Leading Internet Scientific and Technological Achievements, this year our signature event "Dialogues Between Internet Tycoons" will continue to be held at more than 20 venues in Wucun Village where relevant facilities have been further improved, providing a good platform for exchange and cooperation within the internet industry. In addition, the folk dance performance "Hua Mulan" choreographed by the China National Opera House and the Ningbo Song and Dance Theater will be staged, which perfectly combines traditional Chinese culture with modern technology.

Friends of the media, the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government attach great importance to the preparatory work for the World Internet Conference and the preparations are currently in full swing. At present, arrangements for major events are basically finished, and special events are under careful preparation. Conference-related services such as the press conference center, foreign participant reception and volunteer training are being advanced in an orderly way. As the host, we have set high standards for ourselves in order to deliver high-quality work and to entertain our guests with a more exciting and globally influential conference.

Here I would like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude to our friends in the media for your long-term concern and support for Zhejiang Province. At the same time, I would also like to extend our invitation to old and new friends to visit Wuzhen to attend the World Internet Conference and to renew our friendship. Thank you.

Hu Kaihong:

Now, let's move on to the question-and-answer session. Please identify the media outlet you represent before raising your question.