The third World Internet Conference (WIC) that opened on Tuesday and will last till Friday, has attracted more than 300 enterprises from across the world. It comes against the background of China’s evolution into the world’s second-largest economy with the world’s largest base of internet users and a dynamic homegrown internet-driven industry.
Global corporate icons, including Microsoft Corp and IBM Corp, and domestic giants such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Lenovo Group Ltd, are showcasing their latest products in a 22,000-square-meter exhibition center.
A number of Chinese enterprises are now considered some of the world’s top tech firms, and their bosses some of the the most talked-about gurus.
This year’s conference will open the floor to Alibaba’s Jack Ma, Tencent’s Pony Ma, Baidu’s Robin Li, Xiaomi’s Lei Jun, Sohu’s Charles Zhang and JD.com’s Richard Liu. Their foreign counterparts will include LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Qualcomm president Derek Aberle, Microsoft vice executive president Shen Xiangyang, and Nokia’s chair Risto Siilasmaa.
This year, Liu Yunshan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will address the conference on innovation in Internet development.
The CPC Central Committee acknowledged in October that the country needs breakthroughs in high-performance computing, mobile communication, quantum communication, core chips and operating systems.
More guidelines on innovation are expected at the conference.
On the day before the conference, a fleet of 15 blue-striped cars cruised one of Wuzhen’s main thoroughfares. The cars can analyze traffic flow and control their maneuvers automatically, according to Cao Haitao of Baidu’s artificial intelligence unit.
Baidu’s senior vice president Wang Jin said the company has sufficient expertise in high-precision electronic mapping, positioning, sensing and decision-making and control systems to mass produce smart vehicles by 2020.