Tuesday March 9, 9:19 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
China's Biggest Internet-Based Bookstore
Goes Online
Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer Opens Online
Bookstore -- a Joint Project of Compaq China and CIHC -- On First Day of
China Visit
HOUSTON and BEIJING, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 1999-- China's biggest Internet-based
bookstore, the Beijing Book Centre Online, went live today. The online bookstore is the result of a jointly
developed project by Compaq China and China Information Highway Corporation (CIHC).
The Beijing Book Centre Online marks a major milestone in Beijing, as it is a pilot project in the effort to
turn Beijing into an E-Commerce Capital City.
The online bookstore's opening ceremony was officiated by Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq president and
CEO, who is on a four-day visit to China, and Lin Wenyi, vice mayor of Beijing. More than 200
government officials and guests from various Municipal and National Ministries, the publishing
administration, and China's leading banks attended the ceremony.
''E-commerce is fast developing into a major business direction today,'' said Pfeiffer. ''I am impressed
by the support the Beijing Government has given towards the building of its E-Commerce Capital City.
The Beijing Book Centre Online is a major milestone towards this new era.
''The first of its kind in the capital, the Beijing Book Centre Online will act as a catalyst for e-commerce
development in China. Compaq is -- and has always been -- confident in China's economic development,
and we have identified China as a key player in the e-commerce world,'' Pfeiffer continued. ''I am
pleased that Compaq is able to play a significant role in providing technologies and expertise to develop
the Beijing Book Centre Online. This project is also proof of the close cooperation between Compaq and
the China Information Highway Corporation.''
The CIHC is responsible for technology deployment, systems integration, and building the infrastructure
to support the online bookstore, while Compaq provides servers, technical, and network architecture
support for the project.
Taking just six months to develop, the Beijing Book Centre Online has more than 160,000 Chinese book
titles, making it the largest online bookstore for Chinese books in Asia, if not in the world.
The project also involved the support of the People's Bank of China (POBC) and 11 commercial banks.
PBOC, which is organizing the National Bank Card Exchange Centre, and the other banks are now
jointly building a Secure Authentication Centre to support online banking.
For example, the Bank of China in China and the Bank of China Group in Hong Kong will use the
Secure Electronic Transaction protocol to enable customers to make secure payments using the BOC's
Great Wall bank card and credit cards from VISA and Mastercard.
Similarly, the Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPDB) also is working to enable its customers to
make payments with their Oriental, VISA, and Mastercard bank cards using the Secure Sockets Layer
protocol for Internet-based credit card transactions. The Commercial and Industrial Bank of China (CIBC)
also is developing a secure payment method for its Mu Dan Card.
The National Bank Card Exchange Centre is expected to be ready at the end of this year. By then,
through the Internet, millions of people in the world will have their first taste of browsing through a
diversified number of Chinese book titles. Book enthusiasts can search for their favorite titles, order,
and, in the future, pay for their purchases online. Internet-based online payment is now being testing.
''I congratulate those involved in developing the Beijing Book Centre Online and I'm grateful to the BOC,
CIBC, SPDB banks, and Compaq Computer Corporation for their support towards the building of the
E-Commerce Capital City,'' said Vice Mayor Lin.
''The E-Commerce Capital City project aims to serve the development of our nation's economy. It will
push the deployment of information technology and information services while contributing to China and
the world's e-commerce development. E-commerce is the focus of the information industry and star of
21st Century businesses,'' Lin continued. ''E-commerce is going to revolutionize our lives. The
development of e-commerce will form a new commodity exchange mechanism, build a new market
infrastructure, and create a new culture. It will break time and space barriers, accelerating the
development of the unification of the world's economy,'' said Vice Mayor Lin.
Company Background
Founded in 1982, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ - news) is a Fortune Global 100
company. Compaq is the second largest computer company in the world and the largest global supplier
of computers. Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services, including
industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, networking and
communication products, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. The company
is an industry leader in environmentally friendly programs and business practices. Compaq products are
sold and supported in more than 100 countries through a network of authorized Compaq marketing
partners. Customer support and information about Compaq and its products are available at
www.compaq.com.
Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product names mentioned herein may be
trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
BROADCAST MEDIA ADVISORY:
Satellite feeds on the announcement from China are available as follows:
B-ROLL FEED TIME AND COORDINATES
Tuesday March 9, 1999 -- from 10:30 to 10:45 a.m. (EST) KU Band GE3/Transponder 18 C Band Telstar
4/Transponder 6
REFEED TIME AND COORDINATES
Tuesday March 9, 1999 -- from 2:30 to 2:45 p.m. (EST) KU Band Telstar 5/Transponder 17 C Band
Telstar 5/Transponder 15
Contact: |
