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A digital Beijing is not so far away, as the Chinese capital has
attached great importance to develop high-level infrastructure for
information networks, which the city considers a major milestone
in its effort to build itself into an international metropolis.
Fan Boyuan, director of the Beijing Municipal Science and Technology
Committee, promised this during the fourth session of the 11th Beijing
Municipal People's Congress.
According to Fan, Beijing has achieved a lot in the past five years
as it has moved towards digitalization. The city will continue its
efforts in the next five years, especially focusing on the development
of related software so that more people can have access to information.
According to Fan, these efforts will bring Beijing into the "springtime"
of a network era, with other related industries, such as the hardware
sector, also benefiting.
This year, broadband information services are no longer the privilege
of local high-tech parks, but normal in other districts, especially
newly built ones.
Being able to provide broadband information will be critical for
those districts wishing to be classified by the local government
as "high quality" in its yearly assessment of various
local office and residential districts.
All Beijing's 18 counties and districts will have computer networks
of their own within the next five years, allowing for the direct
transfer of paper or computer data.
Before 2006, Beijing will establish a broad-band Internet phone
network that will cover the whole city.
This plan of the municipal government's has been applauded by the
people's deputies, but they urged it to pay more attention to new
research, management and applications.
Sun Honglie, an information technology expert from the Dongcheng
District, was worried the encouragement being given by the local
government to develop computer networks might result in overzealous
growth and redundant construction.
The municipal government should, because only it can, take the responsibility
for sorting out the existent networks and getting them to work together
more so that information can be shared, taking into consideration
the interests of all parties.
The municipal government should divide the five-year period into
several phases and set targets for each one while maintaining a
long-term goal. If this is not done, there is a danger that the
efforts will lose continuity and stability.
Moreover, at present almost all the software, hardware, and network
products are from overseas. It is important for Beijing not to rely
so much on imports if it really wants the information industry to
be a new economic growth point.
Sun also observed that Beijing had a big job to do in developing
the information industry, because it still needed to finish designing
the interior managerial system, establish a pricing system and impose
quality supervision on the comparatively new industry.
(China Daily 02/09/01)
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