The Internet looks set to contribute significantly to China's
transformation in the years after the country joins the
World Trade Organization (WTO),
analysts say.
US
futurist Alvin Toffler said yesterday at a broadband network forum
held by China Netcom Corporation Ltd (CNC): "We have learned
gigantic negative lessons from the collapse of the Internet bubble
and now it will come back in different and mixed forms."
He
pointed out that China will be under great pressure from economic
transformations after its WTO entry and the migration of rural
populations to urban areas will be one of the biggest challenges
for the Chinese government.
China should adopt more aggressive, broadband-based Internet
technologies to educate its rural people so as to enable them to
cope with the information age, rather than all going to
manufacturing sectors, the US futurist urged.
The broadband network can be used to improve and accelerate
education in poor regions in China.
"I
believe laying an excessive capacity of network under ground will
be a wise act rather than over-construction," Toffler said.
Zhou Qiren, a senior economist in Peking University,
also said since many advanced countries were building their
broadband networks, China will be isolated from them if it failed
to keep pace.
Zhou also pointed out that China was at a turning point and
changing from a supply economy to a demand economy and applications
based on the broadband network will be a good way to stimulate
people's consumption.
CNC, one of the biggest broadband network owners with
12,000-km-long networks, has also vowed to better develop its
infrastructures to meet increasing demands from subscribers.
(China
Daily November 27, 2001)