President Xi Jinping is set to attend the Second World Internet Conference (WIC) to be held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, from Dec. 16-18, according to an official announcement on Wednesday.
Xi is going to deliver a keynote speech at the conference's opening ceremony, said Lu Wei, minister in charge of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
Over 2,000 attendees from more than 120 countries and regions will take part in the conference. Foreign guests account for around half the attendees, said Lu.
The participants of the conference include representatives from governments, international organizations, Internet firms, academics, think tanks and experts, as well as college students both foreign and domestic.
The prime ministers of Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will also attend the event.
Also in attendance are senior officials from the United Nations, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, Apple, Microsoft, Nokia, Lenovo, Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu.
The conference is scheduled to cover 22 topics, including Internet cultural transmission, Internet innovation and development, digital economy cooperation, Internet technology standards and cyberspace management.
Zhejiang's local officials praised the changes the WIC brought to Wuzhen and its provincial economic development. They vowed to provide high-quality services for the conference.
Lu defended the role of the CAC in Internet management by answering questions about access to certain foreign websites, stating that their business should adhere to China's laws.
"China adheres to reform and opening up to the outside world," said Lu. He added that for those foreign firms that want to enter China, there is a basic rule: they must abide by Chinese laws and regulations.
The conference will be co-hosted by the Zhejiang provincial government and the CAC.
The first WIC was also held in Wuzhen in Nov. 2014.