World Internet Conference to have less glitz and more policy

China will open the annual World Internet Conference (WIC) on Wednesday in the historic town of Wuzhen, as it seeks to promote its vision of internet governance at a time when Big Tech firms continue to reel from months of increased regulatory scrutiny and economic headwinds.

The conference, which used to be a place where China’s internet elite rubbed shoulders with their US counterparts, has in recent times become a platform for Beijing to deliver its policy messages for the sector. The theme of this year’s conference is expected to be the rather staid “building a community with a shared future in cyberspace”.

The year’s event, hot on the heels of the 20th Communist Party Congress where Xi Jinping secured a record-breaking third term as China’s leader, may also provide a glimpse of which officials will be in charge of Beijing’s ideology when it comes to cyberspace affairs in future.

“The major topic is to build a cyberspace community with a shared future … China’s internet space is no longer a pure virtual economy thing as in some Western countries,” said Zhang Yi, chief executive of consultancy iiMedia. “It’s having more impact on the real economy. I think the WIC wants to reflect that.”

The conference has in the past drawn big names such as Baidu CEO Robin Li, Tencent Holdings CEO Pony Ma, Alibaba Group Holding co-founder and former chairman Jack Ma, and Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk, among others.

However, its shine has faded in recent years amid a prolonged crackdown on Big Tech in China. China’s strict Covid-19 controls have also made cross-border and even domestic travel more difficult, discouraging offline gatherings.

Daniel Zhang Yong, CEO and chairman of Alibaba, Xu Lei, CEO of JD.com, and Qu Fang, founder of Xiaohongshu, are among those expected to attend this year’s event.

With Big Tech shares still under pressure, Beijing has continued to articulate its thoughts on future internet development.

China’s State Council Information Office published a four-chapter white paper on Monday, promoting Beijing’s internet governance values and practices to the rest of the world.

“We are providing a China solution to cyberspace development and regulation,” states the white paper.

“China’s internet economy plays an important role in improving citizen’s lives and promoting the high-quality development of the economy and society … In the meantime, monopolies and the abuse of algorithms have imposed some negative influences on consumer rights and market competition,” the white paper notes.

Back in 2015, President Xi attended the event’s opening ceremony and called for a “cyberspace community with a shared future”. South China Morning Post