Globalaffairs

Issue 3/June -July 2007
By Moisés Bolekia Gallego

Microelectronics, telecommunications and computing (telematics) are especially important in contemporary society. For a large number of governments their development, research and implementation are priority for social and economic development in their countries. China is not an exception and bids for ICT thus increasing international cooperation in this area. However, the present article will focus on advances in ICT cooperation between China and Asia-Pacific countries stressing multilateral agreements among China, Japan and South Korea, and on the other hand China- ASEAN.

ICT: a Key sector for Chinese socio-economic development

January 2007 statistics of the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC) estimated a total of 137 million Internet users, around 45 millions hosts and more than 4.1 million domains in China, 43.9% of them are .CN. Furthermore, 256.69 Megabytes of broad band connected with the global net (the USA, Russia, France, the UK, Japan, Singapore, etc.). Regarding mobile phones, according to the China Information Industry in December 2005 China reached 374 millions people subscribed to mobile phones services and expectations for 2009 are 595.46 million. GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) users at the same date were 380 million but due to the increase in third generation services (3G) this number will decrease.

Perusing this small part of available data, it is not difficult to deduce the current and huge economic importance of Information and Communication Technologies for the People’s Republic of China. According to official data, in 2004 the ICT generated the largest contribution to national economic growth even larger than traditional industries.

It seems that the ICT driving force as the Chinese economic development engine was the previous president and ex-minister of Electronic industry, Jiang Zemin who was promoting the ‘Four Modernizations’ (agriculture, education, industry and Army) base on computing and stressing the implementation of Information Technologies in economy and society. Linchuan Qiu, Internet researcher in China, stated that the Internet boom (and its entire infrastructure) is the result of a telecommunication reform led by the State since 1993 based on the replacement of national monopoly with a structure of private oligopolies with ministerial reforms and foreign investment. The objective was to construct an advanced national infrastructure (telematics).

Currently there are different Chinese computing nets of such infrastructure, we can underline two: on one hand the CERNET (China Education and Research Network) regarded as the first academic and research net at national level, and on the other hand the el CSTNET (Chinese Science and Technology Network) created in 1994, the first national computing net based on Internet protocols (TCP/IP). Such net communicates the highest technological research centres with governmental departments and high technology private companies.

The success in the construction of such infrastructure should not see exclusively as result of the Chinese pro-Internet policy, but as the result of institutional legacies, socio-economic factors and several decades of efforts in basic sciences and engineering since 1978. National programs such as the Key Technologies Research and Development Program started in 1982 or the Torch Program launched in 1988 already included research projects related to electronic communication.

Multilateral cooperation China-Japan-Korea

The technical development of ICT goes at dizzy speed. This is one reason for the importance of the active contact with international research centres. In this area, information exchange, joint research and training and ‘recycle’ of professionals are vital for technological advance. Since September 2002, the three most representative countries from Eastern Asia, China, Japan and South Korea have regular ministers’ meeting for multilateral cooperation in regard to Information Technologies. Since then, all parts agree that the establishment of a communal and advance infrastructure is necessary and indispensable for the socio-economic development of the Asia-Pacific region. In the third ministerial meeting in July 2004 held in Sapporo (Japan), where the current Chinese minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong spoke, it was decided that cooperation in the following areas should be strengthened:

- New Generation Mobile Communication (3G-4G). It was specially stressed Internet services in mobile phones, international coverage, mobile Technologies and services standardization as well as the need to cooperate in R&D;

-New Generation Internet. It was agreed to promote, develop applications and exchange experts in the new version of Internet protocol IPv6, which accepts a larger number of addresses thus offering a greater security and confidentiality among other characteristics.

-Digital television. It was underlined the importance of increasing technological information exchange likewise professionals and researchers in digital TV transmission. Promotion of industries related to digital TV.

-Nets and security. It was agreed to establish security policies in the net and join efforts for fighting against cyber-attacks, hackers, etc.

-Free software. It was included the joint assessment of applications of open code programs as well as joining efforts in R&D.

-Services policies of telecommunication. Increasing information exchange about the different telecommunications operators of each country and about the regulation frameworks so as to facilitate the entrance of other suppliers of telecommunications services.

-Olympic Games Beijing 2008. This new category was introduced due to the importance of the event at regional level. It was agreed to strengthen cooperation in communication nets and security.

Cooperation in ICT between the ASEAN and China

Commercial, cultural and institutional links between South-East Asia and China are greater each time. As for ICT cooperation is increasing at two cooperation levels: bilateral ASEAN-China and ASEAN + 3, in other words, ASEAN members and the three greatest countries in Eastern Asia (China, Japan and South Korea).

ASEAN-China Cooperation. The e-ASEAN Project implemented by its members in November 2000 in Singapore showed the will to advance in communication infrastructures, e-commerce, market liberalization, e-government as well as training of professionals and experts in this field. In the same year, at that time the Chinese Prime minister, Zhu Rongy, confirmed his support and collaboration to this initiative in terms of human resources and hardware. From this point, ASEAN-China bilateral cooperation will increase and in the following two years there were joint seminars in Information Technologies and communication in Shenzhen (China) and Indonesia.

Notwithstanding this, the cooperation formalized in the Memorandum of Understanding in 2003, in which both parts cooperate in short and long-term in: i) the establishment of a communal telematics infrastructure and its technological development: ii) e-ASEAN project implementation; iii) information exchange in technical advance, data protection and infrastructure integrity.

In 2005, in the last ‘China-ASEAN ICT week’ it was stepped forward when writing the Beijing Declaration in which both parts confirmed the line marked by the Memorandum of Understanding cited above, including: iv) joint technology research; v) establishment of mobile communication and satellite nets; vi) Information Technologies in rural and far areas; vii) training 500 technicians and medium and high level specialists in telecommunication for five years and for ASEAN; viii) security for net emergencies; xi) e-commerce promotion and effective market regulation.

Lastly, the China-ASEAN ministerial Forum in ICT held in Penang (Malaysia) in 2006 added to the list mentioned above the following: x) the creation of a ‘China-ASEAN Information motorway’ with GSM technology (Global System for Mobile communications) aiming at linking all ASEAN member countries with China through such technology and, finally, xi) information and experience exchange as for the most current version of the Internet Protocol (IPv6).

ICT Cooperation in the ASEAN+3 framework. The first meeting among Information Technologies ministers from member countries of ASEAN, China, Japan and South Korea was held in Bangkok (Thailand) in 2004. The general cooperation targets are close to what stated until now, in other words, towards communication optimization, however, now in all Asia-Pacific region. Its targets are joining efforts for research and development, exchanging technology information and continuing the training of professionals and experts in the field. However, at this multilateral level, it seems that Japan is the regional leader being the main promoter of the ambitious project known as the Asia Broadband Program. The objectives of such program are: i) extending broad band nets (transmission speed equal or higher than 1 Mbps) in the entire region so as to convert it into the greater information concentrator in the planet; ii) converting the region into the leader as for the implementation of New Generation nets based on IPv6; iii) reducing the still existing digital gap between the most developed countries and the less developed ones in the region; d) implementing translation technologies regarding the most spoken languages in Asia and, finally, e) increasing the number of engineers and researchers in Asia directly related to ICT.

To shortly conclude, China is entirely involved in cooperation with the rest of countries of the region for the information infrastructure development, regarded, as it was seen, as very necessary for economic and social progress not only regional but also for themselves. However, the role of regional leader is for Japan as long as it is the most technologically advanced country and especially in ICT. Japan leads the ambitious project Asia Broadband Program aiming at increasing connection of the entire region.

Moisés Bolekia Gallego
Journalist

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