Fifth World Internet Conference Concludes

Around 1,500 representatives and visitors from 78 countries and regions discussed technological innovations at the Fifth World Internet Conference (WIC) held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province from November 7 to 9.

Initiated by China in 2013, the WIC aims to offer a platform for different countries and enterprises to share technological ideas and experience. This year's theme was “building a digital Internet community,” with AI, 5G telecommunications, big data, network security and digitalization being the focus.

Fifteen innovative technologies debuted at the conference, including Tencent's new commercial model for small apps on Wechat, Huawei's new telecommunication chip, Alibaba's Ant Financial blockchain platform, and Baidu's Apollo auto-driving platform. During the conference, China's State-owned Institute for Cyberspace published two reports on the development of the internet in China and the world, calling for high-tech enterprises to jointly develop a digital economy based on a shared, open internet. During a press conference, Alibaba CEO Zhang Yong said the company “has to keep making changes” to achieve its future objectives.