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APEC Science and Technology Ministers Call for Research into Information Technology and Science Skills Shortfall
APEC Science Ministers have agreed to undertake a program of research to identify the causes and seek solutions to the apparent shortfall in science and technology skills in the global economy. In their Joint Communiqu¨¦ following the 4th APEC Ministers' Meeting on Regional Science and Technology Cooperation, Ministers have also drawn attention to environmental and sustainability issues relating to science and technology development. Ministers noted in the Communiqu¨¦: "Some evidence suggests that most economies face difficulties in training and retaining people with the needed science and technology (S&T) skills. We ask that Industrial Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) and other APEC working groups including the Human Resource Development Working Group (HRDWG) work together and consider how to promote further research on the supply and demand of needed science and technology skills within APEC economies. "The focus of this study should be whether there is a world-wide shortage of S&T skills, or a mismatch between available skills and changing demands. Depending on the results of this work, topics that could be considered for information exchange and further study by the two working groups are: The demand for S&T skills in relation to the capacity of economies to educate and train researchers, scientists and secondary & tertiary teaching staff. The main factors that encourage people to study and work in the S&T field (or discourage them from doing so). The key factors behind skilled S&T staff moving across borders, either within APEC or to other countries. "We underscored the need to ensure the workforce within APEC economies is equipped to meet the scientific and technological needs of today and the challenges of the future, and that it draws on the widest pool of talent, now and in the future." Drawing attention to environmental and development issues, Ministers recognized that "the concept of sustainable growth is very broad, and extends well beyond the responsibilities of science portfolios. "However, we are well aware that science and technology will play a pivotal role in APEC's ability to deliver sustainable growth," the Communiqu¨¦ stated. "We have noted the potential of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies to improve the region's energy, environment and economic security, and that the Energy Working Group is developing a framework document on hydrogen and fuel cell technologies as directed by APEC Leaders. "We ask Industrial Science and Technology Working Group and the Center for Technology Foresight to continue to collaborate with the APEC Energy Working Group in its research on the hydrogen economy." Ministers also made a series of recommendations on sustainability that will be considered by other APEC Ministers throughout the year. These include a call for business leaders to take an increasingly sustainable approach to business practices. The Communiqu¨¦ stated: "Business leaders within APEC be encouraged to adopt a positive approach towards sustainability concepts as a way of establishing goals that will release the creativity of engineers and scientists." Throughout their meetings on March 10-12 in Christchurch, New Zealand, a common theme has been the recognition of the link between globalisation and the development of new technologies. The communiqu¨¦ recognizes that: "Globalisation has profound implications for S&T. As economies become increasingly knowledge-based and subject to international flows of goods, services, people, investment and ideas, governments have a critical role in encouraging collaboration among universities, research institutions and business." The Joint Communiqu¨¦ and recommendations from Science Ministers will now be presented to other APEC Ministerial Meetings and APEC working groups. The Communiqu¨¦ specifically calls for Education Ministers to consider the issues arising in science and technology education at the APEC Education Ministers meet in Santiago, Chile, in April. The Final Communiqu¨¦ from the 4th APEC Ministers' Meeting on Regional Science and Technology Cooperation is available online at: www.apec.org
From http://www.apecsec.org.sg/ 03/12/2004
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Asian Countries Join Spam War
Fed up with unsolicited emails offering everything from enhanced penises to instant college degrees, Asia-Pacific countries are joining the US-led war against a new world scourge: spam. The flood of annoying emails has become a serious problem for Internet users who do not wish to purchase Viagra or get cheap mortgages online, but experts say little can be done unless spam is attacked at the source. The United States, whose email users receive more spam than anyone else and is also the source of most spam received worldwide, has fired the opening salvo in the war with the "Can-Spam Act." Last week, four of the largest Internet service providers (ISPs) in the United States - Microsoft, Yahoo, America Online and Earthlink - jointly filed six lawsuits against more than 100 suspected spam offenders. This move has spurred governments and companies in the Asia-Pacific region into action. In Singapore, the government is working with the three local ISPs to review several measures to curb spam, including legislation. "Given that spam is a complex and multi-faceted issue, we believe that legislation alone will not solve the spam email problem," a spokesperson for leading ISP SingNet said. "We do not expect a quick and easy solution as any legislation will have to address issues such as definition of spam, invasion of privacy, etc." Australia will see the implementation of new laws in April under which senders of unsolicited emails will face fines as high as 810,000 US dollars. However, the government has acknowledged it is a global problem and legislation alone would not stem the tide. "We need to be looking at other means of dealing with the issue, particularly from overseas sources," Australian Communications Minister Daryl Williams said. Japan already has anti-spam legislation in place, which requires online advertisers to identify themselves, state their physical addresses and mark their email messages as unsolicited advertising, or face a 4,500 dollar fine. But the government admitted such measures can only go so far. "We realise these government measures alone cannot stop people from sending spam messages," said Toshihiko Shibuya, deputy chief of consumers policies at the telecommunications ministry. "We are urging individual Internet users to take self-protective measures against spam mail."
From http://www.theage.com.au/ 03/16/2004
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Global Survey on WSIS Targets
Geneva - The International Telecommunication Union, the organizing entity of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), is conducting a survey to obtain views on the perceived importance of agreed upon targets for improving connectivity and access in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The targets outlined in the WSIS Plan of Action were agreed to by 175 countries represented at the first phase of the Summit in Geneva, 10-12 December 2003. The objectives of WSIS are to build an inclusive information society that will put the potential of ICTs at the service of development and to promote the use of information and knowledge for the achievement of internationally agreed upon development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
From http://www.itu.int/ 04/13/2004
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Internet Governance Issues Discussed at ITU Workshop
Geneva - The Workshop on Internet Governance, organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and held on 26-27 February was a follow-up to the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (Geneva, 10-12 December), where Internet governance had been one of the most complex and contentious issues. Roberto Blois, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU, opened the workshop by stressing that the Internet "can play an important role in reaching many of the goals expressed in the United Nations Millennium Declaration," adding that the Geneva phase of the World Summit on the Information Society had placed the issue of information and communication technologies on the agenda of world leaders and produced consensus on the importance of shaping the information society in a manner beneficial to all. At the Summit, governments asked United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to set up a multi-stakeholder working group on Internet governance to investigate and make proposals for action by the Summit's second phase (Tunis, 16-18 November 2005). The task of the working group is to develop a working definition of Internet governance; identify public policy issues that are relevant to Internet governance; and develop a common understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the different stakeholders. The working group is to include governments, intergovernmental and international organizations, as well as the private sector and civil society, from both developed and developing countries. In order to contribute to a process by which the ITU and its members may prepare their inputs to the working group, ITU, the United Nations telecommunication agency, organized the Geneva workshop, which was attended by some 140 participants from government, industry, international organizations and civil society including root server operators, Regional Internet Registries (RIRs), and ICANN staff and former board members and those responsible for country code top-level domain names (ccTLD). Participants expressed a broad range of opinions, but also a willingness to find common ground and to stress the complementarities of efforts. Several speakers stressed the problem of articulating the character and scope of governance activities in a neutral, non-ideological and systematic way. In formulating a common understanding of what constitutes governance, some made the case for differentiating between "hard" forms of governance, which involve laws, regulations or standards, and "soft" forms, which include cooperation and coordination. These definitions would map across big-picture issues such as development of technology for equitable and sustainable global development, to narrow-focus issues such as the use of common resources and the exchange of specific services and products between nations. There was significant support for the architectural maxim that "form should follow function". In other words, the governance tools chosen to address a particular issue, and the decision-making structures designed to apply these tools to specific problems, should reflect and fully represent the balance of interests, capabilities and needs that exist in the 'real world' - there should be sufficient flexibility to adapt as this balance changes. The history of global ICT governance has demonstrated that some things are best left to the private sector, some are best left to governments, and that satisfactory arrangements have yet to be devised for including developing countries and civil society in either the public or private domains of governance. This experience has also shown that it is difficult, if not impossible, to become truly inclusive without fundamental recognition of the separate and complementary functions of public and private governance structures, the legitimate roles of different actors, and the need to create dynamic linkages between them. To address current gaps in governance, some speakers said, many developing countries would like to see a "one stop shop" like ITU to help them adjust to the new governance universe, since they lacked the financial, technical and policy resources to pursue their interests effectively across multiple forums. Others felt that multiple forums allowed faster adaptation to technological changes and more flexibility. Significant components of governance issues that were highlighted included information and network security, protection of citizens' rights and consumer interests, support for cultural and linguistic diversity, and measures to deal with spam. Modalities for reaching consensus were also discussed. The chairman of the workshop, Shyamal Ghosh, of India's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said that after the first phase of the Summit many felt that drafting in big plenary meetings was not the best way to forge consensus, but also that small committees were too exclusive and did not adequately reflect the views of many Member States. One recommendation was thus to hold open-ended meetings for all stakeholders, which would still be intergovernmental in character but more inclusive. The workshop sounded out ideas that would feed into the efforts of the various bodies involved in the process. The ITU Workshop was the first of a series of meetings to tackle the issue of Internet governance.
From http://www.itu.int/ 03/03/2004
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Korea Ranks First in e-Commerce Awareness
South Korea ranks first in awareness of the importance of e-commerce in business, a British government study showed. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy (MOCIE) on Tuesday said the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry's International Benchmarking Study (IBS) for 2003 put South Korea top in e-business awareness among 11 countries surveyed. South Korea's index reached 0.63, trailed by Ireland (0.62), Germany (0.61), Canada (0.6), the United States (0.6). Awareness refers to the receptiveness of businesses to information communication technologies or e-business. However, in general utilization of information communication technology, South Korea ranked sixth with its index standing at 0.5, behind Ireland (0.53), Canada (0.52), the U.S. (0.52), Germany (0.51) and Sweden (0.51). Japan (0.47) ranked a distant ninth and France took last place (0.42). South Korea also ranked relatively low in seven other categories of the IBS survey. It was seventh in environmental influences (0.39) and staff to new e-business technologies (0.57), sixth in technology (0.59) and fifth in adoption (0.51). It ranked eighth in process (0.43), ninth in deployment or strategic distribution of information communication technology infrastructure (0.37) and 10th in impact (0.47). ``The survey showed that South Korea boasts the world's best broadband technology and infrastructure, as well as awareness of the importance of e-business,'' said Lee Chang-han, MOCIE director in charge of e-business policy. ``But local firms are undergoing greater trial-and-error in adopting e-business and lag behind in strategic utilization of IT technology, such as using video conferencing, which results in a lesser synergistic effect,'' he said. The survey said South Korea is easily ahead of advanced countries in IT infrastructure, with the broadband network penetration rate reaching 95 percent and Internet access rate at 100 percent. It said 97 percent of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have Web sites. ``About 97 percent of Korean SMEs have websites, the highest percentage among the 11 countries, reflecting that the digital divide between conglomerates and SMEs is not as severe as in other developed economies,'' Lee said. ``But conglomerates are enjoying more benefits from adopting information communication technologies than SMEs,'' he said. Global consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton surveyed more than 500 firms in manufacturing, construction, retail, transportation, telecom, finance, services and public sectors to compare their effective usage of information communication technologies. The DTI included South Korea for the first time in its annual IBS report last year. It pointed to aggressive government investment and the near-universal availability of broadband as the background for including it in the annual survey. (by Kim Sung-jin)
From http://times.hankooki.com/ 02/17/2004
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Mechanisms to Protect Consumer & Business Information in e-Commerce: Focus of APEC Symposium on Data Privacy
Improving consumer confidence and ensuring the growth of electronic commerce through cooperation on data privacy issues will be the focus of an APEC data privacy implementation symposium next week. The "APEC Symposium on Data Privacy Implementation Mechanisms: Developing the APEC Privacy Framework" will bring together business, consumer and government experts from APEC's 21 Member Economies on February 23-24 in Santiago, Chile. Sponsored by the APEC Electronic Commerce Steering Group (ECSG), the symposium will address key issues confronting both governments and businesses as they seek to create a balance between effective privacy protections and the free flow of information. More specifically, panellists will address: Privacy issues in the networked global environment; The nature of modern information management; Approaches to information use and processing Flexible approaches to international information flows; Effective enforcement mechanisms to enforce privacy protections; Cross-border cooperation on enforcement matters; and, Consumer and business education on privacy. The APEC Privacy Implementation Symposium is the latest project undertaken by the ECSG as part of its efforts to develop the APEC Privacy Framework. This Framework, which will be made up of both privacy principles and effective mechanisms for their implementation, is designed to help economies protect privacy and maintain the free flow of information, and to enable enforcement agencies to fulfil their mandates regarding privacy and public safety. Peter Ford, Chair of the APEC ECSG Privacy Subgroup, voiced support for the APEC Privacy Implementation Symposium: "This Symposium is central to APEC's work to increase consumer and business confidence, and to promote electronic commerce in the Asia-Pacific region. Considering the social, cultural and legal differences among APEC economies, flexibility in the implementation of the privacy principles will be essential to the success of the APEC Privacy Framework." Speakers at the APEC Privacy Implementation Symposium will include high-level representatives from the private sector, government and non-governmental organizations. The Symposium will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Salon Prieto, Santiago, Chile.
From http://www.apecsec.org.sg/ 02/19/2004
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Parallel Sessions During the 4th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region (CIAPR IV ) in Shanghai
It is estimated more than 800 participants from 50 cities covering 5 continents and 20 international organizations will be present at CIAPR IV. Apart from 2 plenary sessions entitled, respectively, "The Global Trends of Information Technology for Developmente-Management" and "Information Technology for Development - the Strategies of China," there are about a dozen parallel sessions in 3 groups, namely, e-Management, IT & its Applications, and Information Industry. Most arractive among those are UN ICT Task Force Regional Meeting on Internet Governance, Workshop on Developing Intelligent City and Informatization Assessment, Workshop for National Informatization and Legal Construction, E-Government Workshop with themes of "E-government contexts and trends," "E-participation," "Knowledge development," and, "City E-government awareness"; The 6th Interregional Consultative Meeting of UNPAN with preliminary themes of "The role of UNPAN members in promoting the United Nations Public Service Awards," "The role of UNPAN members in the celebration of the United Nations Public Service Day(23 June)," and, "Enhancement of content development by UNPAN members", and Summit for the Telecommunication Development Trend and City Informatization.
From http://www.apcity.org/ 04/12/2004
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PC Sales in Asia Grows Almost 10 Percent in 2003
SINGAPORE (AFP) - Sales of personal computers (PCs) in the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan, rose 9.5 percent in 2003 to 29.7 million units with Lenovo (formerly Legend) of China the top selling brand, research house Gartner said. Lenovo had 9.5 percent of the market, selling 2.835 million PCs in 2003 for a gain of 15.1 percent, it said in a report. US computer giant Hewlett-Packard was ranked second with 2.707 million PCs sold, giving it 9.1 percent of the market. In third place was IBM with 1.96 million units sold, followed by Dell on 1.762 million and Acer of Taiwan on 1.193 million, Gartner said.
From http://asia.news.yahoo.com/ 02/11/2004
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PC Shipments Slower But Still Robust to 2005
(IDG NEWS SERVICE) - Despite expectations that worldwide PC shipments over the next two years won't be able to match figures for 2003, the forecast is still one of double-digit growth through 2005, market research firm IDC said Wednesday in its Quarterly PC Tracker estimate. Worldwide PC shipments are now expected to grow 11.4% in 2004 and 11.2% in 2005. That compares with an 11.7% growth rate in 2003 with 154.5 million units shipped, IDC said. "This is not the growth rate of the late '90s, but it's still pretty healthy," said Roger Kay, vice president of client computing at IDC in Framingham, Mass. "The late '90s was a period of accumulation, and we're now past that point." Beyond 2005, growth in worldwide PC shipments is projected to slow to about 8% through 2008, IDC said. Shipment value is expected to grow by more than 5% for the next two years, followed by growth of roughly 3% through 2008. Interest in laptops and wireless technology, from both the consumer and enterprise sectors, is a driving factor in the market's growth worldwide, but particularly in the U.S. and Western Europe, Kay said. "Wireless is becoming a check-box item for businesses," he said. "Part of the reason for that is because enterprises are having to deal with employees who are doing wireless on their own at home, which does raise some security issues for companies." In 2004, 172.1 million units are expected to be shipped worldwide, with the U.S. accounting for 58.5 million of those units. The worldwide commercial sector in 2004 can expect shipments of 109.9 million units, a growth rate of 12.1%, while the consumer sector is forecast to have 62.1 million units shipped on a 10.2% yearly growth rate. "Enterprises have cannibalized their closets so to speak and now need to refresh technology with new PC purchases," Kay said. "Meanwhile, consumer spending is still growing, despite poor job growth. Consumers haven't been tapped out in terms of their PC spending." U.S. demand for laptops, or "portables," is projected to be up by 30% over the next two years, growth that will more than offset an expected decline in public-sector spending, due in part to this year's presidential election. "Election years throw funny things into IT spending projections. For example, questions about future tax policies become an issue," Kay said. Spending in the government sector is expected to drop, especially in the areas of education and federal spending, he said. In other regions, both consumer and business demand in Western Europe will remain strong into 2005 due to rapid portables adoption and improving price points, IDC said. "Western Europe is forecast to be slightly stronger than the U.S. in 2004, though that will most likely reverse in 2005," Kay said. IDC projected growth in the PC market in Japan, which is expected to rise from 2.8% in 2003 to around 6% in 2004 and 2005, while the Asia-Pacific region in general will remain in double digits throughout the period. "China is really the engine in the region, though India is becoming very interesting and also showing strong growth," Kay said. "The Asia-Pacific market was underpenetrated but is now in full-swing." IDC is a division of International Data Group, parent company of the IDG News Service and Computerworld. (by Laura Rohde)
From http://www.computerworld.com/ 03/11/2004
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U.N. Projects Historic City Populations by 2007
For the first time in history, most of the world's population will live in cities by 2007, U.N. demographers have said. They said that 48 per cent of the world's population lived in urban areas in 2003 and this was "expected to exceed the 50 percent mark by 2007, thus marking the first time in history that the world will have more urban residents than rural residents." They projected that the world's urban population would rise to 5 billion by 2030 from an estimated 3 billion in 2003. Conversely, demographers expect the rural population to decline to 3.2 billion from 3.3 billion in 2003 by that year. Global urban populations would grow at an annual average rate of 1.8 percent and double at that rate in 38 years, according to the U.N. Population Division report, "World Urbanization Prospects: The 2003 Revision." Tokyo, the world's most populous city with 35 million, was projected to still be the largest in 2015 with 36 million people, followed by the Indian cities of Mumbai at 22.6 million and New Delhi at 20.9 million. Next on the list were Mexico City at 20.6 million and Sao Paulo at 20 million. The population division simultaneously released another report, "World Population Policies 2003," which said high mortality was the most significant concern for developing countries. "The number one issue that is of concern to the developing world is mortality and for some countries also rapid population growth," U.N. Population Division director Joseph Chamie said at a news briefing. "In contrast, the concern for many and most of the developed countries is low fertility and declining population growth." The report said more than 90 percent of countries supported providing contraceptives and that developed and developing countries held a similar desire to lower immigration.
From http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ 03/26/2004
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Internet Traffic to Reach 15 Tbytes a Second by 2008, Says Probe
(HONG KONG) -- International Internet traffic will grow at rapid rates over the next five years, doubling every year. A new study from Probe Group, "Global Internet Traffic 2004," forecasts international and domestic Internet traffic through the year 2008. Peak international Internet traffic will surpass 15 terabytes per second by 2008. "As broadband Internet penetration increases, and wireless data usage grows, internet traffic will experience a new surge in demand," commented Victor Schnee, CEO of Probe Group. "We expect the highest growth rates to come in 2005 and 2006." IP transit revenues will also show strong growth. "Including the US, Europe and Asia, transit revenue will reach US$7 billion by 2007," Schnee continued. "Transit services are becoming more attractive as prices erode. Service providers are offering them to customers as the most effective way to guarantee a high level of service." As broadband grows, service providers will see the rise in applications that deliver multimedia content. "Peer-to-peer applications, video-on-demand and multimedia streaming will be the leading applications driving traffic," Schnee said. "In the wireless sector, mobile gaming will be the leading data application." Enterprise applications also play a part in driving traffic growth. "More use of collaborative communication tools in business will increase peer-to-peer and streaming video traffic," Schnee said.
From http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/ 03/30/2004
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Korea, China, Japan Unified in 4G Mobile Phone Standard
South Korea, China and Japan agreed to jointly develop communications technologies for fourth-generation (4G) cellular phones, which are expected to come into commercial use in 2010, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Sunday. As the number of mobile phone users in the three nations account for 30 percent of all users, there is the possibility that the protocol could eventually become the global standard. The three nations plan to convene a communication related ministerial meeting in July in Japan, where they will officially agree on joint development of the technology. The three nations also plan to regularize working-level meetings to share information and support collaboration between business and research institutes. Fourth-generation cell phones will come into commercial service in 2010. Analog handsets of the 1980's and digital handsets of the 1990's are labeled first and second generation respectively, and NTT DoCoMo's FOMA as third generation. Fourth-generation cell phones are expected to be 50 times faster than third generation equipment in transmitting information, with transfer rates of 100 megabits per second equaling the speed of fiber-optic communications. Customers can expect to have crystal-clear TV images on their displays even while traveling on fast-moving trains. South Korea, China and Japan plan to collaborate to solve technological problems in adopting common communication technologies and to cooperate when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) adopts an international frequency spectrum for fourth generation mobile phone in 2007. Currently, third generation mobile phones used in the three nations use different methods to transmit information.
From http://english.chosun.com/ 04/05/2004
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IDC Wins Contracts to Provide Broadband Satellite Network in Asia
Ottawa-based International Datacasting Corporation, which provides advanced products, systems and services for the implementation of broadband wireless infrastructure networks, announced that it has been awarded contracts to provide a broadband satellite network for the distribution of multimedia content across Asia. The contracts, which are valued at $2.7 million, include systems integration services and equipment needed to establish operational uplinks in Singapore and Hong Kong, plus satellite router appliances sufficient to equip over 1,500 sites.
From International Datacasting Corp. 04/08/2004
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Samsung Electronics Rises, Nokia Falls in World Wireless Handset Market
(SEOUL) -- As Samsung Electronics Co, Ltd recorded record high sales during the first quarter, contrasting with sluggish sales estimates from Nokia Corp, industry watchers are expecting a position shift in the world wireless handset market. Samsung Electronics succeeded in heightening the image as a luxury brand through lucrative but mid-priced products, while Nokia focused on price competitiveness and mid- and low-priced handsets, a strategy that was not helpful to its brand competitiveness, industry watchers said on April 19. Samsung Electronics saw sales of 4.61 trillion won during the first quarter of the year on the back of camera phones and other high priced handsets. Total sales of handsets amounted to 20 million units, up by 51.5% on an annual comparison. Meanwhile, Nokia saw a 2% fall in sales, lower than the forecast of 3-7% year-on-year for the period, and the company expects sales to remain sluggish during the second half of the year.
From http://neasia.nikkeibp.com/ 04/21/2004
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Asia-Pacific IT Spending to Rise 10 Pct in '04-IDC
BEIJING (Reuters) - Information technology (IT) spending in Asia, excluding Japan, is expected to rise 10 percent this year to nearly $88 billion as the global economic recovery gathers steam, a research group said on Thursday. International Data Corp's forecast is nearly triple the 3.4 percent increase in IT spending for 2003, when the economy began to pick up after two years of weakness. Among the more than 3,000 enterprises polled by IDC, 58 percent said they expect their overall IT spending to increase this year, while just 2.5 percent said it would go down. But IT spending is unlikely to bounce back to levels experienced during the telecoms build-up and technology boom of the 1990s, IDC added. "IDC believes that it is unlikely that the region will witness longer-term regional growth beyond 10 to 11 percent in the foreseeable future," it said. Strong IT spending should benefit computer and chip makers such as Dell Inc (nasdaq: DELL - news - people), Hewlett-Packard Co (nyse: HPQ - news - people) and Intel Corp (nasdaq: INTC - news - people), as well as telecoms equipment makers such as Motorola Inc (nyse: MOT - news - people), Nortel Networks and Ericsson .
From http://www.forbes.com/ 04/22/2004
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Online Travel Market in Asia to Hit US$16b by '06
RESEARCH has revealed that the Asia-Pacific's outbound online travel market will be worth more than US$16 billion by 2006, up from a forecast US$12.6 billion this year. Japan is expected to be the leader, with its outbound online travel market forecast to be worth US$6.68 billion by 2006, up from US$4.9 billion in 2004. Japan is followed by Australia and South Korea, with predicted markets in 2006 of US$2.9 billion and US$2.3 billion respectively. Singapore will contribute US$640 million to the pie, up from an expected US$500 million this year. Anthony Venus, executive director of Marketshare, the independent market research consultancy that conducted the study, attributes the expected increase in the value of the online travel market to various factors. According to him, budget carriers in the region will play a major role in boosting online travel. 'One common catalyst is the launch of low-cost airlines across Asia,' he said. 'Their business model of online discount fares will be a major driver for growth in online bookings for hotel and travel packages.' Other factors include intense competition among websites providing online travel services, and a global audience without national boundaries. Factors holding back the growth of online travel include limited access to the Internet, limited credit card penetration and apprehension about purchasing online. There is also a preference for human contact while buying travel packages and group tours. The Pacific Asia Travel Association has predicted that the outbound travel market in Singapore will be worth US$5 billion in 2004. From this, Marketshare expects 10 per cent, or US$500 million, to come from online bookings.
From http://business-times.asia1.com.sg/ 04/22/2004
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APEC Workshop on Sci-Tech Intermediary Mechanisms Begins
More than 100 officials and experts from 13 members of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) are attending a workshop on science and technology intermediary mechanisms, which started in Beijing Monday morning. At the 11th informal meeting of APEC leaders, held in October 2003 in Thailand, Chinese President Hu Jintao said the promotion of science and technology advancement and innovation is critically important to the realization of sustainable economic development. In response to Hu's proposal, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, together with the Thai Ministry of Science and Technology, sponsored the workshop, focusing on governments' role in promoting intermediary organs, related policies, information sharing systems and international cooperation in the field. In his opening remarks, Li Xueyong, vice minister of science and technology, said that under a market economy, science and technology intermediary service institutions are able to help establish close ties among different innovation entities and provide important supporting services for innovation activities. The joint efforts of APEC members to promote the development of intermediary institutions are in line with the demands of the times and demands for the coordinated development in the region, Li said. Statistics showed that China has more than 60,000 such intermediary organs, providing over 1.1 million jobs. By organizing the two-day workshop within the APEC framework, China hopes to further boost domestic intermediary services for scientific and technological innovation.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/09/2004
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The World's Telecommunications Engine
The International Telecommunication Union is proud to announce ITU TELECOM ASIA 2004, being held in Busan, Republic of Korea, from 7-11 September 2004. Asia's edge in technological innovation, adoption and explosive growth make it the natural marketplace for buyers and sellers from around the world. ITU TELECOM ASIA 2004 will highlight the groundbreaking technologies and rapidly changing business and regulatory landscape defining the telecommunication trends of tomorrow. ITU TELECOM events are unique in their ability to attract senior-level decision-makers including CEOs, government ministers, regulators and others spanning both the private and public sectors. The events consist of a major Exhibition and thought-provoking Forum all delivering the latest technologies and business networking opportunities needed to meet the goals of the telecommunications industry. ITU TELECOM ASIA events have been important industry milestones throughout Asia over the past 19 years with an unmatched reputation for bringing together the right mix of technologies, leaders and visionaries necessary to successfully expand business opportunities throughout the region. The burgeoning growth and laboratory of exciting new technologies make Asia an essential stop for those looking to grow business, or buy and sell the latest products in the world's largest, fastest-growing and most innovative market.
The Best of Both Worlds
Asia leads the telecommunications world in terms of growth, as well as innovation and deployment of advanced technologies.In almost every category, Asia is arguably the most important market for telecommunications investment and partnering. In 2002, while fixed-lines grew a healthy 10%, mobile subscribers jumped 34%. Meanwhile Korea and Hong Kong, China were the top two global economies in terms of broadband Internet penetration. And Japan and Korea were first to launch 3G services. North Asia is a communications powerhouse whether in broadband, mobile, manufacturing or services. It also feeds the region's growth with close business relations and short supply lines to quickly expanding markets across the Asia region. South Asia is primed for growth with easy access to advanced technologies. Village telecenters still dominate in Southeast Asia, where less than one in 100 inhabitants is a broadband customer while mobile subscriptions quickly climbed 50% in 2002 alone. That leaves open a world of opportunity in a region of tremendous innovation including offshore software development, e-government, cyber cafes, Wi-Fi, gaming and prepaid services. The role of government in telecommunications development in Asia is also unique as regulatory efforts lead to increased privatization and joint venture opportunities. The ITU's neutral but influential role as the United Nations specialized agency for telecommunications helps ITU TELECOM ASIA 2004 attendees keep abreast of new telecommunications trends, laws and opportunities through high-level debate between government ministers, regulators and CEOs at the ITU Telecom Forum.
Who will participate
As always, the world's leading telecommunications companies will attend ITU TELECOM ASIA 2004. Telecommunications operators, gear manufacturers, suppliers of networking parts, software, services and the latest Internet technologies are among the regular mix of participants at the exhibit. The Exhibition will provide the total breadth of the industry; including mobile, satellite, Internet, media, fixed-line and broadband areas. The Forum, with its respected roster of business leaders, technology visionaries, communications ministers, regulatory authorities, academics and keynote speakers will supply enlightened insight. Among the themes to be discussed are: creating successful business models, partnerships and alliances, new technologies and services in addition to many others.
From http://www.itu.int/ 02/20/2004
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"APT Regional Forum for ICT Experts in South-East Asia" Held
The Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) and the Indonesian government (State Ministry for Communications and Information, Directorate General Posts and Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications) held the "APT Regional Forum for ICT Experts in South-East Asia" with the financial support from Japan (Extra Budgetary Contribution from Japan to APT) in Jakarta on February 4 and 5, 2004. This Seminar was convened to i) review the current status of ICT development in the South-East Asian region and socioeconomic impacts thereon, ii) exchange opinions on development of various applications such as e-governments, etc. development of information infrastructure, etc. in rural areas in the region, and iii) discuss on ICT development in the future and measures for dissolving the digital divide. At this Seminar, some 80 participants, including government officials from Japan and ASEAN members and researchers, gave speeches and exchanged opinions. At the opening, Minister Mu'arif of State Ministry for Communications and Information, and Mr. OKU, Director of International Cooperation Division, MPHPT, gave keynote speeches. Other participants from Japan included Prof. SAGA (fellow Researcher) and Mr. IGARASHI, the Communications Research Laboratory; representatives of NTT Data and Hitachi Singapore.
Sessions 1 -- 3:
Government officials* and opinion leaders from the private sector explained ICT policies and measures concerning concrete applications such as e-governments, etc. and exchanged opinions. *(Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia)
Sessions 4: Special lectures
Efforts of CRL in Asia, efforts of NTT and Hitachi to address e-governments were introduced. Indonesian PT Telekom and the National Information Industry Laboratory introduced initiatives for widespread use of ICT.
Session 5: Summary
Based upon all discussions, Prof. SAGA of CRL summarized efforts to dissolve the digital divide, and promote ICT policies for rural areas, etc.
Participants reached common recognition that toward widespread deployment of ICT infrastructures and widespread use of applications in the Asian region, relevant countries/economies and organizations should strengthen "partnership" and it is vital to prepare a "sustainable" development environment.
From http://www.soumu.go.jp/ 02/26/2004
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59th IETF Meeting Showcases Latest Broadband Technology
Some 1,000 Internet experts have begun to work on fast-evolving standard and technology issues at the 59th Internet Engineering Task Force Meeting held in Korea, a major international conference that is expected to set the stage for the global broadband technology sector. IETF Meeting kicked off its week-long schedule at Lotte Hotel in downtown Seoul on Sunday (Feb. 29), with attendees setting the standards for various Internet-related technologies including IPv6, mobile IP, MPLS, VoIP and QoS. IETF is the Internet standardization agency, which influences broadband and related sectors. Since its launch in 1986, the agency has offered guidelines on how broadband and Internet solution industries should move. The Seoul meeting is hosted by KT Corp., the country's largest fixed-line and broadband carrier, and Samsung Electronics, the world's largest DRAM maker. The Telecommunications Technology Association, Korea's major standardization agency, is organizing the event. Participating organizations include the Advanced Network Forum, state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, the Korean IT Industry Promotion Agency, Korean Information Security Agency, the Korean Institute of Science and Technology Information, the Korean Network Information Center, the National Computerization Agency and the Open Standards and Internet Association. In the private sector, network equipment maker Cisco Systems, KTF Co., electronics maker LG Electronics Inc., LG Telecom Co., multi-lingual domain service provider Netpia Inc., SIGn and SK Telecom, the country's largest mobile carrier, join the conference. The Korean government expects the IETF meeting to infuse fresh energy into the country's broadband sector, which is staging steady growth despite the protracted slump in the overall high-tech sector. Korea has more than 11 million households hooked up to the broadband network, which is largely dependent on digital subscriber line and cable infrastructure. And the high penetration rate of the Internet - about 75 percent - is envied by other countries keen to build up and expand their broadband network. But Korea IT companies and policymakers are now aiming to play a bigger role in Internet standardization. Until now, IETF has set some 3,500 standards for the global Internet industry, Korea has contributed just two items, while the United States is dominating the standardization front with its firm grip on related technologies and solutions. Recently, major corporations like Samsung Electronics and local universities are actively participating in major standard-setting conferences and forums. The number of related papers filed by Korean engineers and researchers is also on the rise. Kim Dae-young, professor of Chungnam National University, said, "Korea will file 40 to 60 papers at the IETF meeting in Seoul regarding IPv6 and mobile IP sectors, which will give a new momentum to the country's initiative toward the Internet sector." Japan and China also are expected to be active conference participants. IETF Meeting organizers said that the Seoul meeting is now drawing keen interest from participating members, especially at a time when Korea is being regarded as a test bed for new Internet technologies. Korea is set to focus on IPv6, dynamic host configuration, network mobility and related sectors during the conference. In particular, IPv6 is at the center of attention as Korea and Japan are competing with each other in the field. "Leading the industry standard is crucial for the high-tech sector, and the IETF meeting in Seoul should provide a chance for Korean companies and researchers to catch up with other advanced countries and adopt new trends quickly," said Lim Joo-hwan, director of the ETRI, the country's largest IT research institute. IETF has nine fields: application, general, Internet, sub-IP, operations and management, routing, security, transport and user services. Each field has a host of working groups which develop and finalize "request for comments," or RFC. IETF working groups have so far settled standards for various technologies such as TCP/IP, DNS, IPv6, IPv4, multicast and eNUM. The agency cooperates with the Internet Architecture Board and the Internet Engineering Steering Group. For further information on IETF and the 59th meeting in Seoul, visit its Web site at www.ietf.org.
From http://www.korea.net/ 03/02/2004
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Worldwide IT Skills Shortage and Sustainable Development - High on APEC Science Ministers' Meeting Agenda
APEC Science and Technology Ministers will look at solutions to the worldwide shortage of information technology skills when they meet in Christchurch, New Zealand, this week. Other issues before the 4th APEC Ministers' Meeting on Regional Science and Technology Cooperation relate to ensuring scientific and technological advancement is sustainable for all economies in the region. The New Zealand Minister for Research, Science and Technology, Hon. Pete Hodgson, said while advances in science and technology are creating new opportunities, there is concern to ensure that requirements that come with these advances are sustainable for all APEC Member Economies. "Scientific and technological discovery is moving at a dramatic pace and this has numerous implications for the global economy," Mr. Hodgson said. "On the one hand we have new opportunities to develop increasingly effective medicines, improve living standards and develop products that are more environmentally friendly. "At the same time breakthroughs in the science and technology sector require a much more highly skilled and specialized workforce to make the most of these opportunities. "The problem for many developing areas is how they develop the skill base to fully compete in the new digital economy and not be left behind. "Investment in human capacity building initiatives and ongoing education programs are essential if all APEC Member Economies are to fully compete in the modern global economy. "Ministers at this meeting will have the opportunity to look at capacity building initiatives and ways to improve the scientific and information technology skills of people throughout the Asia-Pacific." The theme of the Science Ministers' Meeting is "Enhancing the capacity of science, technology and innovation to deliver sustainable growth across the APEC region." Mr. Hodgson said the City of Christchurch had welcomed delegates from APEC Member Economies and he expects the series of working visits by delegates to New Zealand smart industries would build firmer science and IT links around the APEC region. Ministers will be greeted by a traditional Maori greeting tonight at the Christchurch Town Hall before the formal opening of the meeting by Mr. Hodgson, on Thursday Morning.
From http://www.apecsec.org.sg/ 03/10/2004
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The Press Conference on the 4th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region
The 4th Annual Forum on City Informatization in the Asia-Pacific Region (CIAPR IV) will be held in Shanghai, China from May 20th to 22nd, 2004. The following information was issued by the 4th CIAPR Organizing Committee on 27 February in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The CIAPR IV is co-sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal People's government and United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA), The CIAPR IV is also co-sponsored by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Communication Union (ITU), the United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force (UN ICT TF), the State Council Informatization Office of China, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, the Ministry of Information Industry of China, the Ministry of Commerce of China, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Shanghai Municipal People's Government. The 4th CIAPR Forums, with its core notion of "ICT for Development: the Role of Local Government", will be held in Shanghai, China from May 20th to 22nd. It will discuss "Global ICT trend for Development", "Global trend of ICT development and its use" and "China's ICT strategy for development and its use", etc. Under Secretary-General of UN and high level officer of UN, Government leaders, more than 800 participants from 50 cities covering 5 continents and 20 international organizations, will be present at the that time in Shanghai. As sponsors think, richness of the contents of CIAPR IV will exceed past three years. During the Conference, the UN Public Service Awards will be presented by UN/DESA to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions in local e-Government application. Representatives from the UN institution, VIPs from worldwide and representatives of enterprises will discuss the strategies of informatization development and experiences successful. CIAPR IV will be composed of a series of thematic sessions£¬working sessions and international exhibitions on ICT. Keystone focus of discussion including: e-Government, e-Commerce, application of international Credit Card, telecommunication development, information technologies and application and legal construction of informatization, etc. In the Press Conference, Mr. Chen Dawei, deputy director of the State Council Informtization Office, delivered a speech. Mr. Yang Xiong, chairman of CIAPR IV Forum Committee and vice mayor of Shanghai Municipal People's Government, made a brief introduction to the CIAPR IV Preparations.
From http://www.apcity.org/ 03/17/2004
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South Korea to Host APEC Info-Tech Meeting in 2005
(Yonhap News) -- SEOUL -- South Korea, home of the world's fastest Internet and cell-phone networks, will host a meeting of the information technology (IT) working group of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum next year, the Ministry of Information and Communication said Friday. The decision was made in a March 21-26 meeting of the annual gathering in Hong Kong, the ministry said in a statement.
From http://www.undp.org/ 03/26/2004
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The ITU TELECOM Board Recommends Final Negotiations with Hong Kong, China for the Next ITU TELECOM WORLD Event
Geneva - Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announces that the TELECOM Board meeting in Geneva today recommended that final negotiations be conducted with Hong Kong (China) to hold the next ITU TELECOM WORLD event. The Board of ITU TELECOM considered the candidacies of five cities bidding to be the venue for ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006 (Geneva, Hong Kong, Milan, Istanbul and Algiers). A comparison of the bids was reviewed by the Board, focusing both on the responses to the specific requirements of the call for bids and an analysis of the financial conditions. The Board considered that the bids of Geneva and Hong Kong were the two leading ones. Although the Geneva bid marked a considerable improvement on the terms offered for hosting ITU TELECOM WORLD 2003 (especially with regard to the commitment to guarantee the withdrawal of the "minimum stay" requirement in hotels), nevertheless, the Board expressed a preference for Hong Kong based on the following considerations: The enormous market opportunity represented by Asia, and by China in particular. The strong preference of vendors and operators to follow market trends. The overall costs to exhibitors (taking into account rental rates, sub-contractor rates, hotel rates etc), which are considered to be lower in Hong Kong. The need to send a signal to the industry of the willingness of ITU to listen to its customers, and to change. The desire to rotate the World events. Guarantees offered by Hong Kong concerning the minimum level of space to be purchased by Chinese companies. The Board invited the Secretary-General to open final negotiations first with Hong Kong, with a view to obtaining the most favourable terms and conditions, particularly with respect to the financial conditions which were not sufficiently attractive. In case the negotiations with Hong Kong do not yield satisfactory results, the decision could therefore be to remain in Geneva. The ultimate decision will rest with the Secretary-General based on the results obtained. The ITU TELECOM Board is a body whose role is to provide strategic advice to the Secretary-General on ITU TELECOM events and who represent the views of all stakeholders to the events. ITU TELECOM events were launched more than 30 years ago with the first World event being held in Geneva in 1971. The most recent world event held in Geneva in October 2003 brought together 911 exhibitors representing 51 countries were present with over 375 industry's CEOs and 148 government ministers and regulators participating in the event. Over 1 500 journalists including 300 broadcast media and more than 120 industry analysts were also accredited for the show.
From http://www.itu.int/ 03/30/2004
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The 1st International Conference on "Information Statistics of the Internet: Measurement, Analysis and Applications"
August 19~20, 2004
Hong Kong and Macao
Purpose: The Internet has evolved so rapidly and has brought so many changes to the world we live. The use of the Internet has entered the maturity stage in some places while it only starts to take off in others. Researchers and professionals have tried to explain such phenomena with various theories, hypotheses and methods. On the one hand, we have known much of it from the current data; on the other hand, we unfortunately have not yet explored deeply into the story behind how we get this data. For this reason, the newly formed Asia-Pacific Internet Research Alliance (APIRA) is organizing its first international conference on the measurement, analysis and applications of the Internet usage in August 2004 in Hong Kong and Macao.
Themes: APIRA seeks papers on the following main themes: Measurement of the Internet users and usage behavior, Analysis techniques for Internet use data, Applications of Internet use research in commercial and non-commercial settings.
From http://www.apira.org/ 04/01/2004
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AFGHANISTAN: Afghan Ban on Female TV Performers Lifted
An Afghan province has lifted a ban on women performers on television and radio just days after imposing it, residents say, following pressure by reformists in President Hamid Karzai's government. The deputy provincial governor of Nangarhar, an area heavily patrolled by U.S.-led troops hunting for Muslim militants and largely run by former anti-Soviet warriors, had announced the ban on Friday, declaring female performers un-Islamic. But this week women were back on the air, residents said. The ban echoed the strict imposition of sharia Islamic law during the Taliban's repressive five-year rule of Afghanistan when television wasbanned, women were not allowed to work and girls were kept out of schools. U.S.-led forces ousted the Taliban late in 2001.The issue of women performing on television and radio has divided moderates and conservative Islamist members of Karzai's government since the Taliban's fall. Moderates have kept up pressure on conservative provinces to follow the new Afghan constitution that gives women equal rights. A decision by Kabul Television in January to broadcast a female singer for the first time in more than a decade stirred protests from Islamists who briefly forced the station to stop airing such performances.
From http://www.myafghan.com/ 04/22/2004
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CHINA: New Regulation Protects Privacy in Personal Credit Rating
China's largest city, Shanghai, has issued a regulation to protect privacy in data collection for its individual credit files, a personal credit rating system that has created records on over a quarter of its residents since it was set up in 2000. The regulation, the first of its kind in China, went into effect on Feb. 1 and outlaws the collection of nationality, racial,family background, religious and political beliefs, blood type, health and other personal information that is not related to a person's credit standing. It rules that personal information should be subject to the person's approval before it is collected on his credit files, except for poor credit records such as deliberate delays of telecommunications, water, electricity and gas charges, overdraftsand defaults on loans. The new regulation has also banned the collection of personal credit information by means of cheating, theft, bribery, intimidation or enticement, according to sources with the municipal information committee. Shanghai is the only city on the Chinese mainland authorized tocollect personal credit information, and one in every four Shanghainese have their personal credit files recorded by an authorized credit information company. Sources with Shanghai Credit Information Service Co. said the company had collected credit records on 3.6 million residents and over 600,000 enterprises in Shanghai. Outstanding personal credit loans accounted for 12 percent of the total in the metropolis, much higher than the national average,of only 2 to 3 percent, says the company's General Manager Chen Zhiguo. In an effort to ensure timely repayment of loans, Chen said hiscompany had joined with over 50 Shanghai-based universities to setup credit files for students who paid for higher education with loans. The nation's capital, Beijing, has also set a timetable to establish an individual credit record system, as the Beijing BanksAssociation announced last year its member banks planned to collect credit records on individual applicants for bank loans to buy cars. The association represents 21 Chinese banks and 18 overseas-funded banks operating in Beijing. The banks are expected to have access to a planned credit information system on individuals with poor credit records involving bank cards, housing loans and individual loans before June 2004.
From Xinhuanet 02/02/2004
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Rule Opens More Data to the Public
A new local regulation will come into force on May 1 to ensure the public get greater access to a host of governmental information. Local authorities will review the scope of information that was once defined by some officials as State secrets, therefore becoming inaccessible to the public, experts said. Under the regulation, governments at all levels are expected to provide the public with timely information that is closely related with the latter's life and work. "The regulation is a significant move that helps the Shanghai government create an open approach to its performance," said Tang Xiaobo, an expert of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences who tracks China's public administration reforms. While the new policy is expected to help keep the governmental power under public check, it will also spur local officials to change their practices, especially those using State secrets to protect their own interests, both on a personal and departmental level, she said. "Some officials' awareness of secrets led to the fact that public check was shut out," said Tang. The new regulation, the first in China that is issued by a provincial-level government, will hopefully change that situation, according to Tang. The information covered by the policy includes local governments' regulations and rules, economic and social development plans, urban planning outlines, epidemic or disaster situation and emergencies. The expected contents also include information on education, social security, housing relocation, public bidding, auditing of fiscal budget and accounting as well as recruiting of government officials. Information is supposed to be disclosed through varied media channels, local citizens, corporations and other organizations are also able to apply for access. Although the regulation still specifies confidential data, including State secrets, it will enable the public to obtain a wider scope of governmental information, experts said. In experts' eyes, the new regulation co-insides well with the Law on Administrative Licensing that will be enforced nationwide since July 1. "Like the law, the policy is in line with the general trend after China's WTO (World Trade Organization) accession, which calls for more transparency in government," said Chen Qixing, expert of Shanghai Administration Institute. Prior to Shanghai's move, the regional governments of Guangzhou and Shantou, all in South China's Guangdong Province, began in 2003 to adopt similar regulations.
From China Daily 02/04/2004
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Shanghai: Development Plan Through 2007 Set
The Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau on February 11 announced its blueprint for the city's socialand economic development through 2007. It also mapped out its major goals to develop thecity into an international financial,shipping and tradecenter by 2010when the World Expo is held in Shanghai. Among them:The city is planning to build 20 specialized commercial streets and five to 10super shoppingmalls,each of which will be no smaller than 100,000 square meters. Additionally,the blueprint also says the city expects to build one natural conservationzone,four suburban parks and put 1,000 squarekilometers under municipal protection.
From http://www.shanghai.gov.cn 02/11/2004
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Hong Kong, Shenzhen to Cooperatein IC Development
The Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) on Thursday signed in Hong Kong a three-year cooperative agreement with the National IC Design Industrial Base (Shenzhen) Institution. The agreement marks a step toward closer collaboration between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in IC (integrated circuit) design in furtherance of the "7+1" program launched by the Ministry of Information Industry for development of IC design bases in Chinese mainland, according to Chief Executive Officer of the HKSTP C. D. Tam. Under the agreement, the HKSTP will provide small batch and finished product testing services for the National IC Design Industrial Base (Shenzhen) Institution, while its IC Design/Development Support Center will offer materials analysis and IC fault analysis. For its part, Shenzhen will help the HKSTP promote its platform for test verification services. The agreement is based on the memorandum of understanding concluded in December last year between the HKSTP and the High Technology Research and Development Center (Hi-tech R&D Center) under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Under the Memorandum, seven IC design bases in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Wuxi and Chengdu, will work under the leadership of the Hi-tech R&D Center with HKSTP's IC Design Center in all areas of IC design and development.
From Xinhua News Agency 02/12/2004
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Beijing: New Legislation Would Make More Info Public
Beijing municipal authorities are considering making some information about government officials public while examining the definition of a State secret.According to the new legislation proposed by the Beijing Municipal Office of Information, the government would publish data that has, until now, been considered to inflict on the privacy of officials, sources told China Daily."We believe that some personal affairs of governmental officials, such as their income, could be made public," Wang Yu, an official with the regulation department of the information office, said Tuesday. At the same time, the definition of a State secret, which has sometimes been used as an excuse for governments to keep information away from eyes of the public, would be examined and possibly re-evaluated, sources said.Part of the motivation is the changes in China's society. What was once considered a secret, may no longer be one.Wang's office released the draft legislation last week and opened it up to comments from the public.According to the draft, personal details, duties and post changes of local governmental officials will have to be made public. "This is only a draft. We will add more things to it if residents believe they need know more about officials," Wang said. The government will leave the draft legislation open to opinions and comments until April.But the official emphasized that his office is only responsible for drafting the legislation and does not have final say."We will hand in the draft to the Beijing municipal government's Legal Affairs Office for a formal version. It still needs final approval from the municipal government," he said.The released draft, however, protects private information of residents collected by the authorities and forbids the publication of State secrets."The definition of State secret in our draft refers to that in the State law to ensure State secrets, which was approved by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 1988," Wang said. But Wang said some of the definitions of a State secret are already out of date and need to be further revised. "We were asked for an opinion on the issue last year and were informed that the law is expected to be revised," he said. This was not confirmed by other authorities Tuesday. he Guangzhou Municipal Bureau for the Protection of State Secrets made public more than 100,000 pieces of information last year which were previously defined as State secrets. revious draft legislation that protected media outlets that released information on public figures, was deleted before it was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress in 2002.One example that highlighted the need for such protection was an accusation brought by Zhang Xide, former Party Chief of the Linquan County in northwest China's Gansu Province, against authors of a best seller - Investigation into Chinese farmers - for infringement on his right of fame.Zhang claims the book's assertions that he beat down appeals by local farmers to higher authorities are not true.He asks for 200,000 yuan (US$24,200) in compensation.The draft legislation says the government must release information about any epidemics, disasters and accidents in the capital city.Another 14 items of governmental information that must be released are also listed.
From China Daily 02/25/2004
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Hong Kong: Government Focuses on IT Education
The Government is committed to promoting the use of information technology (IT) by the education sector and to training more IT professionals. Opening the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) Showcase 2004 at Hong Kong Baptist University today (March 11), the Director of Information Technology Services, Mr Alan Wong Chi-kong, said the Government was committed to fostering Hong Kong's IT development and encouraging IT adoption by enterprises and the public. In the 2004 Digital 21 Strategy announced last week, one of the Government's eight main areas of action is to work with educational and vocational training institutions and the industry to enhance the training and skills of the workforce and the next generation. "In light of our vision for education, the Government is formulating the strategic directions for the further development of IT in education," Mr Wong said. The Government is also working closely with the education sector and training institutes, which are encouraged to review and improve their IT programmes to reflect advancements in the IT industry and cater for the demand for IT professionals in the market. The Information Technology Education Resource Centre was set up to give teachers of various subjects access to IT resources. Basic IT training was provided to some 46,000 teachers and 4,600 teaching assistants in Hong Kong. They are now capable of handling basic computer operations, such as word processing and website browsing, and using educational software. To further enhance teachers' IT skills, the "IT in Education Refresher Training Courses" for primary and secondary school teachers have been organised since 1998. Subsidies to help primary and secondary schools buy computer equipment were provided over the past five years. At the end of last year, all schools were equipped with Internet access, with more than 90% of them using broadband services. Most secondary schools and over 75% of primary schools have also set up their own websites. The percentage of primary school students having knowledge of using computers rose from 60.3% in 2000 to 94.5% in 2002, while that of secondary school students increased from 90.8% in 2000 to 99.3% in 2002, indicating the effectiveness of the Government's IT education measures. In 2000, the Government launched the Hong Kong Education City website (www.hkedcity.net), a joint effort by the Government, education sector, business organisations and social service associations to develop an online learning portal and provide wholesome and educational information. Recording more than 3.3 million page views per day, the website has become the largest and most popular education portal in Hong Kong. Apart from the management of school accounts and the iClassroom launched during the SARS outbreak last year, the website provides teaching resources and services. Mr Wong called on school principals, teachers and students to use the online resources and to help expand the content of the website. This would encourage exchange of information and enhance the learning process, he said. Mr Wong said the ICT Showcase 2004, which ends on Saturday (March 13), offered a golden opportunity for principals and teachers to share their experiences in the use of IT in education. It also allowed industry players to present the latest technologies and extend the horizons of teaching and learning.
From http://www.itsd.gov.hk 03/11/2004
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Chinese Government Technology Agency Joins OSDL: It Hopes to Bring Internationalization Features to Linux
(COMPUTERWORLD) - A Chinese government science and technology group has joined the nonprofit Open Source Development Labs to help improve the quality and testing of the Linux operating system. In an announcement today, the Beaverton, Ore.-based OSDL said that the Beijing Software Testing Center, China's largest software testing organization, has joined the group and will focus on the development of internationalization features for Linux. The BSTC was founded in 2002 by the Beijing Government Science and Technology Commission and the Beijing Products Quality and Inspection Institute. It is charged with providing regulation and quality control to accelerate the development of China's export software industry. "With the rapid global adoption of Linux, we're excited that the Beijing Software Testing Center is joining OSDL to increase their participation in the worldwide Linux development community," Stuart Cohen, CEO of the OSDL, said in a statement. "This newest OSDL member will bring a wealth of knowledge about the use of Linux in China and its potential for use in the data center and on the desktop." The OSDL is a global consortium that is working toward increased adoption of Linux around the world. OSDL members include Cisco Systems Inc., Computer Associates International Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM, NEC Corp., Red Hat Inc., Sun Microsystems Inc., SUSE Linux Inc. and Unilever PLC. (by Todd R. Weiss)
From http://www.computerworld.com/ 03/18/2004
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China to Issue E-Commerce Regulations
China is set to issue new regulations related to e-commerce this year. The move is aimed to better protect consumers buying goods online. The expected new regulation on electronic signature will support the validity of electronic documents and signatures as legal evidence of online purchases. Zhao Xiaofan, vice department director of State Council, said, "The State Council will discuss the rules on electronic signature this year. The regulations on contract, payments, advertising and consumer rights will also include rules on e-commerce." Currently, China has no official national regulations on e-commerce. This creates a lack of trust on online business. Eachnet, the largest auction portal in the country, has seen its business suffer due to the lack of regulations. To improve the business environment, the company submitted its own draft of regulations to the government for a reference. Netease executive Shao Yibo says China has 2.7 million e-commerce consumers, with a dramatic growth in the number from 2000. But the per capita consumption of online buyers is not even one tenth of that in the western countries. If a high degree of trust is created, and supported by related regulations, China's e-commerce can offer promising growth prospects.
From CCTV 03/29/2004
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China Edges Towards Digital Signatures
China has moved closer to the authentication of electronic signatures for e-government and e-commerce transactions. A draft law favouring the implementation of digital signatures was approved at an executive meeting of China's State Council in late March. The draft Law on Electronic Signatures proposes the establishment of an on-line authentication system that will safeguard Web-based transactions and legalise the use of e-government and e-business applications. Speaking at the meeting, Cao Kangtai, director of the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council, said the draft law would make electronic signatures as legitimate as handwritten signatures. The draft legislation will now be submitted for approval to the National People's Congress.
From http://www.enn.ie 04/07/2004
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Shanghai to Enhance Government Work Transparency
By May 1, the city government will launch an upgraded municipal Website to make government work more transparent, with all the government departments needed to release information to the public in an initiative way, municipal spokesperson Jiao Yang said at yesterday's regular press conference. The new Website will highlight the transparency of 15 government departments that have close relationship with residents' lives, including education, human resources, real estate, water resources, quality and technical supervision, construction, planning, industrial and commercial administration, public security, foreign economics and trade, public health, labor security, civil affairs, finance and urban planning. Some highlights: Shanghai Municipal Education Commission: Releasing educational information popular with the public, such as information on enrollment and recruitment of local kindergartens, elementary, middle schools and universities; examinations, fee-collection standard, and policies; employment for university graduates and Sino-foreign educational joint ventures. Shanghai Personnel Bureau: releasing human resources plans, statistics and research reports; examination and recruitment of civil servants over the past several years; preferential policies for returned students and visa policies for relatives of overseas talents working in the city; training programs for needed talents. Shanghai Housing and Land Resources Administrative Bureau: Releasing official documents as of 1995 on land bidding, old home demolishing and the lowest compensation to residents relocating; information on qualifications of real estate firms. Shanghai Public Security Bureau: Offering information via hot line - 24023456 - especially on important and emergency cases; releasing public security situation every ten days and every year. Shanghai Planning Bureau: Releasing general, regional, industrial, professional and important project plans.
From http://www.shanghai.gov.cn 04/08/2004
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Beijing: Gov't Regulations Easier to View
Copies of regulations issued by the Beijing municipal government are now available at more than 800 spots across the city. Among the total 811 spots where copies of the regulations are freely available, 362 were established by district and county governments, said Zhou Jidong, director of the Legal Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government, which is responsible for drafting local governmental regulations. District and county governments covered 119 and the other 243 were set up by subdistrict offices at urban and rural residential areas, according to government statistics. Meanwhile, departments directly under the Beijing municipal government set up 450 free spots. Residents can get free copies of local regulations on social security, medical insurance, housing, family planning and other issues closely related with residents' lives. English versions of regulations on labour and social security are also available at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Labour and Social Security, Ling Peili, an official with the Legal Affairs Office of the Beijing municipal government said yesterday. In Beijing's Chaoyang District, regular governmental reports are also translated into English and placed in the investment service hall of the district. "Most copies of regulations are in the service halls of the 22 subdistrict offices," said Zhang Xiumei, an official with the Chaoyang District Legal Affairs Office. Zhang said the documents will be updated every three months with newly-adopted rules. Zhang vowed to set up more spots in residential areas to make it more convenient for residents to fetch the copies. "Currently, only in government offices and its dispatched organizations can people get copies of the regulations," she said. Beijing began to take the measure last April to give residents easier access to information about their obligations and duties. The move is part of an attempt to meet the requirements of the World Trade Organization. "I am a taxpayer. I need to supervise the government over whether their actions are legal. The free regulation |
APEC Science and Technology Ministers Call for Research into Information Technology and Science Skills Shortfall
