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The Internet, a representative of information and communications technologies, has brought dramatic changes to the world. It has overwhelmingly transformed the lifestyle and the production methods of mankind and facilitated global economic and social advancement. It is a gift from the founding fathers of the Internet to global society. Despite China's first email sent in 1987 that said“Across the Great Wall we can reach every corner of the world, ” the 64K Internet cable in 1994 completely bridged China with the rest of the world. The Internet has promoted mutual understanding and friendship between Chinese people and people from other parts of the world. It has also been a driving force for China's reform and opening-up initiated in 1978 and for the great renewal of the Chinese nation. It is my honor to be a part of China's access to the Internet and devote myself to this great achievement.
The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) was founded in 1997. As an important constructor, operator, and administrator in China's information society, CNNIC has done much in the field of Internet infrastructure resources, including the building and operation of critical Internet infrastructure, the research of technologies related to Internet infrastructure resources, and the promotion of international cooperation.
Meanwhile, CNNIC has continually broadened and deepened its research on the progress of Internet development in China. By investigating and researching the building of Internet infrastructure, the size and structure of Internet users, and Internet applications in China, CNNIC delivers a Statistical Report on China's Internet Development , giving people both in and out of China a better understanding of the country's Internet development. Since its first report, CNNIC has published such semi-annual reports for 23 years, an incredible accomplishment even on a global scale.
For the past five years, the rapid development of China's Internet has drawn global attention. Nowadays, the Internet is more deeply rooted into people's lives and brings much more convenience into people's lives than ever before. We learn from the Statistical Report on China's Internet Development that in 2013, there were 18.44 million domain names in China, including 10.83 million.cn domain names. In 2018, there were 37.928 million Chinese domain names, including 21.243 million .cn domain names. The total number of IPv6 addresses in China was 16,670 blocks/32 in 2013; this number reached 41,079 blocks/32 in 2018. There were 167 million FTTH/O subscribers in 2013 and 368 million in 2018. There were 618 million Internet users in China in 2013 and 829 million in 2018. In China, 81% of netizens visited the Internet by mobile phones in 2013, and this percentage shot up to 98.6% in 2018.
We can also see the fast development of China's information and communications technologies. Back in 2013, 3G had not yet been popularized, but in 2018, 5G had already arrived.In terms of 5G technology, 32% of the articles on 5G standards published worldwide were written by Chinese authors; this percentage reached 40% in the field of leading 5G standard programs. The speed and quality of advancements were among the top in the world. Meanwhile, China also made breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, and blockchain, among others. In the field of artificial intelligence (AI), 74,000 of the 305,000 AI related articles around the world were published by Chinese authors in 2013–2018. Additionally, China is second in the number of the top 1% most highly cited AI articles, and 16 of the 100 most highly cited AI articles were from China. There were 15,916 AI enterprises worldwide, and China came in second place with 3,341 enterprises by the end of 2018. As for big data, following the example of eight leading national big-data comprehensive experimental areas, cooperative developments among Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and midwestern regions of China are emerging. The big data industry of China has grown to play an increasingly important role in economic and social affairs. Regarding cloud computing, China's cloud service providers have also become top players in the world. Revenues as well as market shares have grown tremendously. The cloud computing applications have continued to rapidly penetrate into traditional industries such as civil services, finance, and manufacturing. With respect to the blockchain , the number of China's blockchain enterprises reached number three worldwide. The blockchain technology has reformed the areas of receipts, electronic evidence deposit, food supply-chain, cross border payment, and e-government with great achievements.
Over the past five years, China has seen a boom of Internet applications. Instant messaging now has more functions than ever before: users may enjoy the services of shopping and eating more easily, using mini-programs or official accounts. The total number of instant messaging users was 532 million in 2013 and became 792 million in 2018. Online payment now covers more areas, including public transportation and medical services, and there are more payment methods, allowing for more convenient, efficient payments. There were 260 million online payment users in China in 2013 and 600 million users in 2018. As for online shopping, the advancement of resources, technology and modes at the supply end has sped up. Online and offline resources have been merged and new technologies have been applied. From the consumer end, because of the increase in shopping desire in small and medium-sized cities and the consumption upgrade, the e-commerce providers have reached more areas, and more individualized needs have been fulfilled. China had 302 million online shopping users in 2013, and this number reached 610 million in 2018. Regarding online video applications, there was more equipment, such as smartphones and TVs, which are able to fulfill the needs of individuals and families. The market of short video clips has boomed suddenly and rapidly, and the quality of these videos has improved in terms of content production professionality and the producers' fields. The total number of online video users was 428 million in 2013 and became 612 million in 2018. Thanks to the advancement of mobile Internet, online travel reservation applications have improved regarding user experiences and their personalized needs. The total number of online travel reservation users was 181 million in 2013 and reached 410 million in 2018.
For the past five years, new, innovative applications have continuously emerged. Online ride-hailing, online educational platforms, and online takeout applications have made people's daily lives better. Ride-hailing applications have improved the efficiency and the quality of their services by making use of the Internet; this reduced the pressure on hailing cars and fulfilled the individualized needs of different people. In 2015, the total number of online ride-hailing users was 96.64 million for taxi and 21.65 million for dedicated or express cars. In 2018, the total number of ride-hailing users was 330 million for taxi and 333 million for dedicated or express cars. Online education applications have been able to cover more students, especially in rural areas. By sharing the high-quality education resources of urban areas, the efficiency and quality of education in rural areas have been improved, creating more equality in education. There were 110 million online education users in 2015 and 201 million in 2018. From the perspective of online food ordering , there were more kinds of online food ordering services than ever before. The quality of food and services has been guaranteed, and people have more options. The total number of online food ordering users was 114 million in 2015 and 406 million in 2018.
The Chinese government has played a key role in the country's Internet development. It implemented the Broadband China strategy which encouraged collaboration between network construction, application popularization, service innovation, and industry support. The Chinese government advanced the comprehensive development of telecommunication networks, audio-television networks, and the Internet by utilizing both wire and wireless technologies to serve people in their daily lives and facilitate social and economic development. It also implemented Internet Plus and other related actions, and the Internet innovations have been perfectly mixed with different industries. These actions were aimed to promote innovations, improve efficiency, transform the structure of entities, and raise the production and innovation of the real economy. The Chinese government published a Strategic Guide to the Development of Digital Villages . It facilitated the construction of the digital village and the advancement of agriculture in order to allow all Chinese people to benefit from the digital dividend. At the end of 2018, the value of the digital economy in China reached 31 trillion yuan and contributed to one third of the annual GDP growth.
Now, CNNIC officially publishes an English version of China's Internet Development (2013–2018) , demonstrating CNNIC as the national Internet network information center with eagerness for international cooperation. I hope that the publication of China's Internet Development (2013–2018) in English will open a window that allows the global society to gain a better understanding of China's Internet development and the great Internet achievements of the Chinese people. It may also set an example for people worldwide, especially those from other developing countries, of bettering life through the Internet.
Qian Hualin
Professor & Internet Hall of Fame Inductee
February 14, 2020