The fund aims to break information barriers and close the knowledge gap in the region. (Photo : http://flagspicturess.blogspot.com/2013/02/flag-of-asean-member-countries-pictures.html)
A special fund to be allotted for Internet and telecommunications infrastructure will be set up by the Chinese government to link China to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), according to Lu Wei, minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China.
Lu said that the fund is supposed to promote the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, as well as boost the overall technology levels in the region.
According to the plan, China will establish Nanning as a base for the China-ASEAN Information Harbor. The base will consist of 34 projects worth 20.9 billion yuan ($3.3 billion).
There still exists a sizable digital gap between developing Asia and the West. Lu cited that a total of 700 million Chinese and 400 million Southeast Asians still have no Internet access.
Lu said that one of the goals of the accelerated infrastructure construction is to bring more efficient cooperation for the sharing of information on finance, education, health care, scientific research, and disaster prevention and relief.
Sharing information is crucial to cooperation, Lu added.
The fund also aims to break information barriers and close the knowledge gap in the region.
Lu's remarks were made at the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum in Nanning, the capital city of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in South China, on Sunday.
The two-day forum was organized to discuss building information and technology infrastructure to connect Southeast Asia with China. It aimed to strengthen cooperation between companies, governments and scholars with regards to Internet security, e-commerce and culture.
The event was hosted by the CAC, China's National Development and Reform Commission and the Guangxi local government as part of the China-ASEAN Expo.
