Xi's speech underscores Internet's important role: UK expert

Internet is one of the key infrastructure of the global economy and accounts for a big portion of economic growth in mature economies, said a UK expert.

President Xi Jinping's keynote speech at the Second World Conference on Wednesday underscores the important role the Internet is going to play in the future Chinese economy, and gives hints on how China is planning to unleash the potential of the Internet, said Kamel Mellahi, a professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School.

The Second World Internet Conference, the most high-profile Internet related event in China, is taking place in the picturesque water town of Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, Dec 16 to 18.

The Internet is still evolving and its boundaries are constantly in flux, and the conference is putting the global governance and boundaries of the Internet centre stage, and the debate about the governance of the Internet is not only important, but necessary, said Mellahi

The conference, with a goal of "building a cyberspace community of shared destiny", has gathered together more than 2,000 participants, including state leaders, government officials, business leaders, Internet titans, and experts from more than 120 countries and regions.

The "Internet without boundaries or supervision" and "governed Internet" camps have articulated their positions very clearly, said Mellahi.

While there is a broad consensus that clearer rules of conduct are needed in the Internet world where fences and boundaries do not exist, there is to date no agreement on the goals of universal Internet governance model, let alone the mechanisms through which to achieve these goals, said Mellahi.