The World Internet Conference (WIC) 2015 was held on Dec. 16-18 last year in Wuzhen, northern Zhejiang Province, China. The 1st WIC was also held in Wuzhen on Nov. 19, 2014.
Though the WIC may sound like a large-scale international event, it was more of a high-profile Chinese event with international heavyweights in attendance. Still, China Central Television (CCTV), China's main state-run television station, covered the WIC 2015 every hour. The WIC is similar to the Seoul Digital Forum (SDF) held annually by South Korean television network SBS.
Wuzhen is nicknamed a Venice of the East. As a matter of fact, Wuzhen got the nickname after the 1st WIC was held in 2014. It took 40 minutes to travel from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station southwest to Tongxiang Railway Station. Then I rode in a taxi for quite a while to head north before arriving at the entrance to Wuzhen. Upon getting off the taxi, I had to go through tight security checks. During the WIC, Wuzhen was strictly off-limits to foreign tourists. Even the taxi that I took couldn’t enter the town. After going through the security checkpoint, there was no taxi whatsoever.
I took a bus to go downtown. After getting off at the final stop of the bus, I had to either walk or hitchhike. To get inside the venue of the WIC, I had to go through another security checkpoint. Only residents who had registered beforehand and ticket holders were allowed to enter the venue. At the entrance to the venue, yet another ticket inspection was carried out.
Wuzhen, a historic scenic town of 60, 000 people, was put under tight control; few Chinese people from outside the town came and went. Almost all stores in downtown Wuzhen were closed during the WIC 2015. WIC banners were sporadically hung here and there to indicate that Wuzhen was playing host to an international conference. Except that, the town was unbelievably quite and secluded.
WIC attendees wanted to have more opportunities to discuss issues, but the WIC took on a conclave-like vibe. Though free-flowing discussions took place at an undisclosed session focused on cyber security, many WIC attendees were denied entry to the session. Some attendees said the WIC was excellent protocol-wise, but it left much to be desired in terms of the way the WIC let attendees know the results of the meetings.
Delivering a keynote speech, Chinese President Xi Jinping underscored “cyber sovereignty.” He said: “Cyberspace is not a place that is beyond the rule of law.”
President Xi Jinping called on countries to respect one another's cyber sovereignty and different internet governance models. Mr. Xi said countries had the right to choose how to develop and regulate their internet.
At the WIC 2015, Mr. Xi’s “Internet plus” strategy was banded around. Internet plus is similar to IT convergence in Korean terms. The Internet plus strategy can be understood as a movement aimed at creating new industries by grafting ICTs onto manufacturing, finance, medicine and agriculture.
China wants to nurture the WIC into an enduring, well-established international gathering like the World Economic Forum. However, judging from the list of WIC attendees, it has yet to establish itself as a bona-fide international forum. The US and other western countries sent representatives from their embassies in China. Not a single South Korean media outlet covered the WIC. As such, much needs to be done to make the WIC an international conference. I’m looking forward to seeing how the WIC 2016 will unfold.
