China looks to ramp up Internet growth, and its controls
BEIJING (AP) — China's government has highlighted big data, encryption technology and "core technologies" such as semiconductors as the key elements of its push to grow into a tech powerhouse, according to a new five-year plan released Saturday that envisages the Internet as a major source of growth as well as a potential risk.
Even as it highlighted the need to improve Internet infrastructure to rural areas and unlock the digital economy's potential, Chinese economic planners called for a more secure and better managed Web, with enhanced Internet control systems, Internet security laws and real-name registration policies.
Similar to previous years, when Chinese leaders highlighted industries such as e-commerce as a growth focus, the new draft of China's development plan specifically elevated big data and cloud computing, relatively new and promising fields that Chinese industry experts view as not yet cornered by U.S. companies that dominate other parts of the technology market.