Zhou, who is well acquainted with the development of the Internet and e-economy, said many Chinese cities are enthusiastic about broadband technology, which will play an important role in the development of the Internet.

With their adoption of broadband technology, metropolises such as Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and regions like Hong Kong, see themselves as "digital ports."

All of Beijing's 18 districts and counties will have computer networks of their own within the next five years, allowing for the switch from paper to computer data.

These metropolises are doing better than many European or US cities in the construction of high-level information network infrastructure, according to Zhou.

Zhou made the remarks at a press conference for the International Symposium on Network Economy and Economic Governance, which is scheduled for April 19 and 20 in Beijing.

Aimed at finding solutions to the imbalanced development of the network economy in developed and developing countries, the two-day symposium will focus on the challenges and opportunities offered by the network economy to developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and the importance of establishing new relevant economic policies.

The development of information and communication technology around the world is uneven. Statistics show that 5 percent of the world's population possess 98 percent of the world's network resources.

Along with the few benefits the network economy has brought to developing countries, it has also brought uncertainties, including weakened state structures, loss of government sovereignty and an increase in unequal distribution.

In order to solve these problems, good economic governance at national and international levels is needed, Zhou said.

(China Daily 03/28/2001)