World Internet Conference to kick off on Sept. 26

The 2021 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit is scheduled to take place from Sept 26 to 28 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, said Zhao Zeliang, vice-minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China, during a news conference in Beijing on Friday.

A kid tries a 5G smart education device at the booth of China Unicom during the Light of Internet Expo of the 2020 World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang province, Nov 22, 2020. [Photo/Xinhua]

Themed as "Towards a New Era of Digital Civilization – Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," the Wuzhen Summit will be held both online and offline this year.

Nearly 2,000 representatives from domestic and foreign governments, international organizations, industry associations, global leading enterprises, universities and research institutes from over 80 countries and regions, will attend the conference both online and offline, Zhao said.

The event this year will invite over 1,000 online attendees to watch the conference real-time for the first time through the Online Conference Video System, according to the Cyberspace Administration. The summit this year will also set up 20 sub-forums with the focal points and hotspots of global cyberspace.

The Light of Internet Expo 2021 attended by over 300 Chinese and foreign companies will put a spotlight on the latest and cutting-edge advances in cyberspace, launch new technologies and products in the fields such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data, blockchain and cybersecurity, and unveil applications for digital reform in economic, social and governance areas.

The 2021 WIC will also release the blue books of the World Internet Conference, namely the China Internet Development Report 2021 and the World Internet Development Report 2021.