U.S.-CHINA INTERNET INDUSTRY FORUM EMPHASIZES COOPERATION;

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 SHANGHAI 000493 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EEB/CIP, EEB/TPP/IPE, EAP/CM, INR/B DEPT ALSO FOR E U/S JEFFERY DEPT ALSO FOR IIP AND R USDOC PASS BUREAU OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS USDOC FOR ITA DAS KASOFF, MELCHER, OCEA/SZYMANSKY USDOC FOR USPTO FOR INT'L AFFAIRS - LBOLAND STATE PASS USTR FOR STRATFORD, WINTER, KATZ, MCCOY, BAE, POSNER STATE PASS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS FOR COPYRIGHT OFFICE - STEPP NSC FOR LOI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON PGOV PHUM TINT KIPR ETTC KPAO OIIP SOCI CH SUBJECT: U.S.-CHINA INTERNET INDUSTRY FORUM EMPHASIZES COOPERATION; CHINESE BOAST OF ONLINE ADVANCES REF: SHANGHAI 471 (U) This cable is sensitive but unclassified and for official use only. Not for distribution outside of USG channels or via the internet. Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) The Internet Society of China (ISC) and Microsoft co-hosted the 2nd U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum November 7-8 in Shanghai, encouraging more bilateral cooperation on Internet issues. Chinese participants highlighted technological advances and the patriotic virtues of the Internet, while speakers at the forum's breakout sessions emphasized opportunities for online interactions, including e-commerce and blogging. The Consul General's speech highlighted the need for a free flow of information and the protection of intellectual property rights online, drawing positive comments from industry representatives. The forum attracted significant coverage in Chinese-language media with most articles focusing on Vice Minister Cai Mingzhao's keynote speech. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) The Consul General, accompanied by FCS Chief, Commercial Officer, Public Affairs Officer, and Pol/Econ Officer, attended the opening of the U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum on November 7. The Consul General delivered a keynote speech during the Forum's plenary session, which was attended by more than 150 company representatives and industry experts from the United States and China. The 2nd U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The Internet Society of China (ISC) and Microsoft co-hosted the 2nd U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum November 7-8 in Shanghai. During the first forum in Seattle in November 2007, Chinese and U.S. representatives from government, the technology industry, NGOs and academia expressed their views on Internet policies in China and the challenges faced by U.S. companies. Discussions during the first forum ranged from online advertising and e-commerce to technology enablers, online gaming, and the next generation of Internet applications. Organizers for the second forum expanded the focus of the discussion to the value of an open online environment, the Internet's economic, social, and cultural benefits, and the need for privacy and transparency on the Internet. Organizers held the second forum in China on the heels of the 2008 Beijing Olympics where the Internet played a significant role. Accentuating the Positive -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Hu Qiheng, the ISC's Chairwoman, opened the forum with a speech that highlighted technological advances in China and focused on "development and cooperation" between the U.S. and Chinese Internet industries. Hu stated that China currently has 253 million registered Internet users and 1.9 million websites. She also emphasized China's accomplishments towards expanding the Internet's coverage in rural areas, promoting e-commerce, and supporting e-government initiatives. Cai Mingzhao, Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office, echoed Hu's points, adding that at the current rate of growth, China could have 500 million Internet users in three to four years. According to Cai, as of June 2008, China also has: 63 million online shoppers, 84 million mobile Internet subscribers, 107 million blog sites (up from 40 million in 2007),and 74 million Internet users in rural areas (a 70 percent increase from the previous year). Online Patriotism -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Several Chinese speakers emphasized the patriotic SHANGHAI 00000493 002 OF 004 virtues of the Internet, particularly during a year with so many newsworthy national events. Referring to 2008 as an "extraordinary" year, Vice Minister Cai said the Internet played an important role in the Tibet riots, Sichuan earthquake, and the Olympics. In the week after the Lhasa riots, Cai said, more than 70 million Internet users posted patriotic comments and blogs to express "opposition to violence and terrorist acts." During the Sichuan earthquake rescue efforts, a student posted an online message that identified a good helicopter landing area, Cai said. ¶6. (SBU) With regard to the Olympics, Cai said Chinese news websites posted over 200,000 articles per day on Olympics-related information in addition to Chinese citizens who "paid tribute to the Beijing Olympics" with their own online comments. Wang Wenbin, General Manager of CCTV.com, speaking on "The Internet and the Beijing Olympic Games" during the November 7 plenary session, said CCTV.com and its partner websites aired over 1 billion hours of video coverage, and he credited the Internet for encouraging debate on topics such as Beijing's automobile traffic control measures. Differences in the Regulatory Environment -------------- ¶7. (SBU) There appeared to be little discussion during the forum on allowing more freedom on the Internet in China, and "trust," "self-discipline," and "fairness" were buzzwords for many of the speakers when addressing differences between China and the United States on regulation of the Internet. Hu Qiheng said developing the Internet in China will depend on a regulatory system that "has a strong legal basis and integrates administrative management, industrial self-discipline...and public supervision." (Note: At a November 8 Breakout Session on "Internet Governance and Regulation," Huang Chengqing from the ISC gave a presentation entitled, "Proactive Guidance, Self-Discipline, and Push for Development." End Note.) ¶8. (SBU) Vice Minister Cai emphasized the importance of "how to build an honest and trustworthy Internet community," calling for "a cyberspace that is useful and credible, fair and orderly, law-abiding and self-disciplined." Kai-fu Lee, Google's President for Greater China, stated that the need for search engines to return a "complete, accurate, fair result to the user" still must be balanced with the legal restrictions of a country. (Comment: Several Forum participants said they were puzzled by Lee's speech, saying it was unclear if Lee's remarks signaled Google's intent to be more open in China or was a message to other industry reps that self-censorship is acceptable. End Comment.) ¶9. (SBU) Several Chinese speakers also took the opportunity to blame other countries, especially the United States, for many of the Internet's problems. According to Vice Minister Cai, 77 percent of online attacks and 50 percent of junk mail in China originated overseas, and he said that the China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center received 391,000 complaints about online pornography, of which 81 percent involved U.S.-based websites. CCTV.com's Wang Wenbin criticized the United States for copyright agreements that he claims did not allow overseas Chinese in the United States to watch CCTV.com's Olympic broadcasts. Wang added that more than 90 percent of the 4,000-plus detected illegal webcasts were pirated overseas. Consul General Offers U.S. View -------------- ¶10. (SBU) CG Camp highlighted internet freedom and the protection of intellectual property rights online during her November 7 remarks. The Consul General emphasized that rule of law and transparency are part of the bedrock for a successful market economy and said that, despite much progress, it is unfortunate that the Chinese Government has reacted to rapid SHANGHAI 00000493 003 OF 004 changes on the Internet by trying to control the free flow of online communication and information. Industry representatives from Microsoft, Time Warner, and Cisco praised the speech for "hitting the right tone"; one said the speech served as a perfect "response" to the Chinese speakers' views. ¶11. (SBU) Chinese participants also offered measured compliments to the Consul General's speech. Madame Hu from the ISC characterized the Consul General's remarks as "very good," and a Nanjing University professor agreed that it was important for someone to address internet freedom and IP enforcement during the plenary session. A trio of Beijing-based ISP providers all said the speech was "on the mark." The Chinese Government might not like criticisms of the regulatory environment, they said, but "facts are facts." Opportunities to Interact Online -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Speakers at breakout sessions on November 7 emphasized the increasing opportunities for online interactions. Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba.com, highlighted advances to-date in e-commerce, stating that further progress would benefit small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Charles Zhang of Sohu.com said that the Internet in China is very market-oriented and other industries could learn more from the competitiveness of online ventures. Matt Roberts, General Manager of About.com, said the potential for greater online interaction in China is "huge" but will depend on sound policies in IPR protection, libel law (see reftel),and transparency. Charles Chao, CEO/President of SINA Corporation, observed that "blogging has become the fastest and most influential way of interaction." Posting online comments on measures such as the Labor Contract Law (LCL) has been a valuable channel to influence government policy, Chao added. Media Spotlights Rapid Advances -------------- ¶13. (SBU) The forum attracted significant coverage in Chinese-language media with most articles focusing on Vice Minister Cai Mingzhao's keynote speech. Other items noted in news articles: the rapid development of the Internet in China, that the Internet is becoming one of the major media contributors in China, and that the development of the Internet is helping boost China's opening and reform. The media also focused on the ongoing dialogue between the U.S. and Chinese Governments on the Internet and touched on the likely impact of the global financial crisis on China's Internet development. Eastday.com, a local Shanghai-based Internet Service Provider (ISP),posted an article about the Consul General's remarks entitled, "Comparing Invention of Internet to That of Electric Lamp, U.S. Consul General Used Chinese Idiom to Talk about Internet." (Note: The article was later removed from the Eastday.com site and did not reappear. End Note.) Shanghai a Good Host, but Few Local Participants -------------- --- ¶14. (SBU) The Shanghai International Exhibition Center in Pudong was a good venue for the first forum held in China, but there appeared to be few participants from Shanghai. Most of the Chinese participants traveled to Shanghai from Beijing where they are based, and Congenoffs met few Shanghai-based contacts at the plenary or breakout sessions. Matt Roberts from About.com, who also is based in Beijing, told Pol/Econoff that most Internet companies are primarily focused on government affairs and therefore remain in Beijing. He acknowledged that in this regard, Internet firms are different from many foreign financial institutions, which are locally incorporated with headquarters in Shanghai. Bio Note: Cai Mingzhao SHANGHAI 00000493 004 OF 004 -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Born in 1955 in Lianyungang City in Jiangsu Province, Cai Mingzhao is Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office. Vice Minister Cai graduated from the Chinese language department of Nanjing Teachers University in 1983 and served in bureaus of the Xinhua News Agency in Jiangsu Province and Shandong Province as a science and technology reporter before being appointed secretary-general of the Xinhua News Agency in ¶1993. He was appointed vice-president of Xinhua in 1998 and executive deputy editor-in-chief in 2000, working during that period to help establish www.china.com, which in 1999 became the first Chinese Internet company to be listed on NASDAQ. In May 2001, Cai Mingzhao was appointed as Vice Director of China's State Council Information Office where he has played a role in drafting China's Internet policies and regulations. Bio Note: Hu Qiheng -------------- ¶16. (SBU) Madame Hu Qiheng currently is the President of the Internet Society of China (ISC). She also is the Vice President of the China Association of Science and technology, member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and member of the National Committee of the 8th and 9th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She has acted as President of the China Automation Society, President of the China Computer Society, and Chairman of the China National Committee for International Data Center. Hu is among the earliest domestic scientists in the field of mode identification and Artificial Intelligence. ¶17. (SBU) Hu graduated from the Graduate School of Moscow Institute of Chemical Machinery, earning an associate doctoral degree in 1963. She has participated in research work on Internet regulation hosted by the United Nations, and she was elected President of the Strategy Council of the United Nations Global Alliance for Information and Communication Technologies and Development (UNGAID) in March 2008. Hu has received an honors certificate from China's national 863 Program and has served as Director General of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS),and Vice President of CAS. CAMP