NOTE: This translation was originally published on the China Copyright and Media blog, a project of DigiChina’s Prof. Rogier Creemers of the University of Leiden. It has not been edited, double-checked, or standardized with DigiChina’s original content. Read more.
President of the People’s Republic of China
Jiang Zemin
11 August 2000
Mr chairman, all representatives, ladies and gentlemen:
Today, the 16th World Computer Conference, organized by the International Federation for Information Processing, has solemnly opened here. This is a distinguished cross-century gathering of the world’s information circles. Experts and entrepreneurs from many countries have come together under the same room to exchange academic viewpoints, display technological achievements, and explore development trends, this will have an important influence on the development of the world’s information technology. On behalf of the Chinese government, I express warm congratulations to the Conference! And I express a sincere welcome to all representatives attending the Conference!
In the 20th Century, humanity has achieved glorious scientific and technological succession. From the foundation of quantum theory and relativity theory, the discovery of DNA’s helical structure and the expansion of information science, to the successes of the human genome sequencing “working draft”, a profound revolution has occurred in global science and technology, and social productivity has increased greatly. It can be predicted that in the 21st Century, the further development of science and technology, and especially incessant breakthroughs in information technology and life sciences, will have an even deeper influence on global political, economic and cultural life. Experts believe that in the early years of the next century, digitization will become a new driver for information technology development, integrated circuits will enter a new stage of integrated system development, dense wavelength division multiplexing systems’ transmission capabilities will increase greatly, personal mobile telecommunications and Internet technologies and capabilities will improve over and over. We should deeply understand the mighty force of information technology, and vigorously advance the development of information technology.
Global material resources are limited. For humanity to realize sustained development, it must find new roads for resource exploitation and use. The development of information technology enables humankind to excavate the huge information resources hidden in material movements, and use them. Information resources have become resources of equal importance to material resources, their important role is increasing with every passing day. Information’s high-speed and broad dissemination characteristics enable profound changes to occur in people’s ways of production, learning and life. Following the incessant advances in knowledge innovation and technological innovation, material production and knowledge production are integrating, hardware manufacture and software manufacture are integrating, the traditional economy and information network technologies are integrating, this will form a strong driver for economic and social development in the 21st century.
What merits attention is that the information networking levels of various countries are very unbalanced at present. Developed countries have information technology superiority, they hold ever more information resources, and are becoming information-rich countries. Developing countries are correspondingly backward in information technology, they not only have low economic and social development levels, they are also correspondingly poor in the area of informatization. In the present world, discrepancies in informatization levels are not narrowing, but they are expanding further. If this sort of situation does not change, the North-South divide will further grow, and it will be difficult for the global economy to develop healthily. Developed countries have a duty to assist developing countries in the areas of technology, finance and talent, and in accelerating their informatization process.
The swift development of the Internet has an important role in global economic growth and strengthening contact between the peoples of all countries. But we must consider that there are several problems on the Internet that make people uneasy: antiscience, pseudoscience, unhealthy and even very harmful information trash is spreading unchecked; some people intentionally disseminate information that does not conform to facts, misleading people’s understanding of the actual situation; personal privacy and corporate secrecy are difficult to protect, hacking attacks even cause telecommunications interruptions and network paralysis. In order to stimulate the healthy development of the Internet, we advocate the drafting of an international Internet treaty, to strengthen information security management together, and fully give rein to the positive role of the Internet.
China’s government attaches great importance to developing the information industry, and is currently forcefully advancing the informatization of the national economy and society. China is still a developing country, the task of industrialization remains incomplete, and we face the arduous task of realizing informatization. Our strategy is: stressing the use of information technology to raise industrialization levels in the process of industrialization, stressing the use of information technology to transform traditional industries through the process of informatization, use informatization to drive industrialization, give rein to late-starter advantages, and strive to realize leapfrogging development in technology.
Facing a new century and anew millennium, this conference should make far-sighted correct assessments of the role of computers, telecommunications, television and other such information technologies in the development of humanity in the new century, and let information technology ever better enrich humanity.
Finally, I wish the Conference will be crowned with complete success! I wish all representatives enjoy their stay in Beijing!
Thank you!
在第十六届世界计算机大会
开幕式上的讲话
中华人民共和国主席 江泽民
(二○○○年八月二十一日)
主席先生，各位代表，女士们，先生们：
今天，国际信息处理联合会主办的第十六届世界计算机大会，在这里隆重开幕了。这是世界信息界跨世纪的一次盛会。各国专家和企业家集聚一堂，交流学术观点，展示技术成果，探讨发展趋势，这将对世界信息技术的发展产生重要的影响。我代表中国政府，向大会表示热烈的祝贺！向出席会议的全体代表表示诚挚的欢迎！
二十世纪，人类取得了辉煌的科技成就。从量子理论、相对论的创立，脱氧核糖核酸双螺旋结构的发现，信息科学的诞生，到人类基因组序列“工作框架图”的绘就，世界科技发生了深刻的革命，社会生产力极大提高。可以预计，二十一世纪，科学技术的进一步发展，特别是信息技术和生命科学的不断突破，将对世界政治、经济、文化生活产生更加深刻的影响。专家们认为，在下世纪初叶，数字化将成为信息技术发展的新动力，集成电路将进入集成系统发展的新阶段，密集波分复用通信系统的传输能力将极大提高，个人移动通信、因特网的技术和能力将成倍提高。我们应深刻认识信息技术的伟大力量，积极推进信息技术的发展。
地球的物质资源是有限的。人类要实现持续的发展，必须在资源开发和利用上找到新的途径。信息技术的发展，使人类能够将潜藏在物质运动中的巨大信息资源挖掘出来，加以利用。信息资源已经成为与物质资源同等重要的资源，其重要作用正在与日俱增。信息高速、广泛传送的特点，使世界形成了一个没有边界的信息空间。万水千山，天上人间，信息广泛传送。远程教育、远程医疗、电子商务、电子邮件、虚拟现实的发展，使人们的生产、学习和生活方式发生着深刻的变化。随着知识创新和技术创新的不断推进，物质生产与知识生产相结合，硬件制造与软件制造相结合，传统经济与信息网络技术相结合，将形成推动二十一世纪经济和社会发展的强大动力。
值得注意的是，各国的信息网络化水平目前还很不平衡。发达国家具有信息技术优势，拥有越来越多的信息资源，成为信息富国。发展中国家信息技术相对落后，不仅经济、社会发展水平较低，在信息化方面也相对贫困。当今世界，信息化水平差距不是在缩小，而是在进一步扩大。这种状况不改变，南北差距就会进一步拉大，世界经济也难以健康发展。发达国家有义务在技术、资金和人才方面帮助发展中国家，加快它们的信息化进程。
因特网的迅猛发展，对世界经济增长和各国人民加强交往具有重要作用。但必须看到，因特网上也存在一些令人不安的问题：反科学、伪科学、不健康的甚至十分有害的信息垃圾泛滥；有些人有目的地发布不符合事实的信息，误导人们对真实情况的认知；个人隐私、企业秘密难以保全，黑客攻击甚至造成通信中断、网络瘫痪。为了促进因特网健康发展，我们主张制定国际因特网公约，共同加强信息安全管理，充分发挥因特网的积极作用。
中国政府高度重视发展信息产业，正在大力推进国民经济和社会信息化。中国还是一个发展中国家，工业化的任务尚未完成，又面临实现信息化的艰巨任务。我们的战略是：在完成工业化的过程中注重运用信息技术提高工业化的水准，在推进信息化的过程中注重运用信息技术改造传统产业，以信息化带动工业化，发挥后发优势，努力实现技术的跨越式发展。
面对新的世纪和新的千年，这次大会，对于计算机、通信、电视等信息技术对新世纪人类发展的作用，应作出前瞻性的正确估计，让信息技术更好地为人类造福。
最后，我预祝大会圆满成功！祝各位代表在北京期间愉快！
谢谢！
