hlpinout,
Here is an interesting China story from a different prospective.
NW
Chinese Delegation Visits the Silicon Valley
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 1999--A group of respected Chinese city mayors and businessmen visited the InfoWave Communications Corporation's (www.CCCHOME.com) Santa Clara headquarters today to learn more about Internet business development, as well as possible collaboration opportunities with North American high-tech companies. These men were greatly impressed with InfoWave Communications Corporation's pioneering efforts in the Chinese-language Internet content market, praising the company for providing the best conduit for linking China and America through e-commerce.
The delegation, led by Wang Guangtao, the Vice Mayor of Beijing, arrived in Silicon Valley last night and will leave for Phoenix tomorrow, continuing on their tight North American tour schedule. Accompanied by 19 businessmen from major Chinese enterprises, the mayors spent several hours with the managers of InfoWave Communications Corporation, and reporters of its Silicon Valley Journal (www.SVJournal.com), an online publication that focuses on high-tech people, companies, market trends, stock market, and talent exchanges.
The mayors, from such cities as Chongqing, Changchun, Ningbo, Qingdao, Chengdu and Wuhan, are led by Ms. Tao Siliang, Secretary General of the China Association of Mayors. Tao is the daughter of the famous Chinese leader, Tao Zhu, who died during the Cultural Revolution.
The mayors showed deep interest in the Internet business. Mr. Wang Changyuan, Director of International Department of China Association of Mayors, said the association is actively building a citynet for Chinese cities across the nation. The net will serve as a window to the outside world, which hopefully will attract foreign investments to those cities.
Max Huang, President of InfoWave Communications Corporation and Publisher of the Silicon Valley Journal, informed the visitors that CCCHOME.com specializes in high-tech talent exchange, online investment and financial management, stock market information, and Silicon Valley technology news reports and cultural columns. The website will serve as a platform for Asian-Pacific business exchanges, as well as strategic partnership and investment, particularly in high tech industry.
Mr. Huang stated that the Silicon Valley Journal would use its platform to bring technologies to China and recommend investment projects to overseas businessmen. It will leverage its location in the heart of Silicon Valley to promote exchanges between Chinese and American cities and businesses.
Mayor Wang Guangtao said that Internet has developed rapidly in Beijing and that the government has shown its support. As a place where talents concentrate, Beijing possesses great advantages over other cities in developing. The Beijing government leads the nation in having allocated money to assist the development of Internet businesses in Beijing. "We are promoting 'Capital City Economy,' or knowledge economy, and that will be a priority goal for Beijing in the next few years," he said.
Li Shu, mayor of Changchun, said his city has allocated half a million square meters of land just for high-tech commerce use, where business includes computers and peripherals, while still searching for other businesses. IBM, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard have already settled there, and Microsoft has indicated interest to join. Mr. Li believes that, given further expansion of its functions and capabilities, the Silicon Valley Journal can serve as a major platform for exchanges between Chinese cities and the American high-tech industry.
Zhang Weiwen, mayor of Ningbo, said the city of Ningbo has been very active in Internet investment. The city has provided a good investment environment and has been using its official status to promote venture capital investments. That move, he said, is designed to attract major information technology companies to invest in Ningbo.
Zhang Daizhong, vice mayor of Wuhan, said the city government has established "Wuhan Information Port" to promote the Internet. The website used free advertising to attract business participants and encouraged other people to know more about the city. He said the city has a good fiber optic network and that the overall infrastructure is ready for Internet business development.
Li Deshui, vice mayor of Chongqing, said the city of 30 million people pays particular attention to developing information technology industry. The city government has set up an information technology office to oversee promotion and city leaders frequently visit the city website - "Chongqing Window."
Visiting businessmen in the Chinese delegations are CEOs from such major companies like Beijing Urban Construction Group, China Changjiang Energy Corp., Chongqing Chang'an Auto Group, Zhongguo Changchun First Automotive Group, Ningpo Yunsheng Group, Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company, Xiamen Aero-technology Company, Wuhan Zhongbai Group Co., etc.
InfoWave Communications Corporation is the only Internet company the Chinese delegation visited during their one-day stay in Silicon Valley. The delegation will spend seven days in the United States -- three of the seven having spent attending a mayors' conference in Honolulu, Hawaii last week.
CONTACT:
CCCHOME.com
The Silicon Valley Journal
Beatrice Chan, 408/980-5115
(http://svj.ccchome.com)
beachan@ccchome.com
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