HONG KONG, 24 AUGUST 2009 – For the first time, China will stage the bi-annual meeting of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) where industry leaders meet to discuss numeric Internet resource issues.
The event, which runs in Beijing from 25 to 28 August 2009, is being hosted by the China Network Information Centre (CNNIC), the pre-eminent Internet protocol (IP) addressing summit for the region, and will be attended by Internet industry professionals from telecommunications and Internet service providers, government representatives, educators, and technical specialists.
During the event, an Internet in China Showcase called ‘APNIC 28’, will focus on past and future ventures shaping the Internet scene in China. Speakers include Dr Mao Wei, founder and president of CNNIC, and Hu Qiheng, chair of the Internet Society of China (ISC).
Markus Kummer, executive coordinator of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat; Dr John C. Klensin, an independent consultant influential in the development of Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) system specifications; and Tina Dam, senior director of IDNs at ICANN, will participate in an Internet governance plenary to discuss key issues facing Asian economies.
The APNIC community sets policy for numeric Internet resource distribution and management in the Asia Pacific, and a total of seven policy proposals are to be discussed at APNIC 28, the Policy Special Interest Group meeting.
Policy directions formulated at this meeting and on the APNIC mailing lists have a direct effect on Asia Pacific organisations that make use of Internet number resources. Discussions about how to manage the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 address space will be listed in the APNIC 28 agenda.
Paul Wilson, director-general of APNIC, said: "This meeting is an important event in the Internet governance process. Policies developed here control the availability and use of numeric Internet resources in the Asia Pacific. As such, the meeting and policy discussion is open to anyone with an interest in these issues.
Remote participation
“To help make participation available to more stakeholders, APNIC and its sponsors, ISPAB and Telekom Malaysia, are providing remote video conferencing events in Dhaka and Kuala Lumpur so people can participate without visiting Beijing. We have also provided funding for several fellows to assist their attendance, and we have online webcasting facilities for any interested party to take part, watching the presentations and contributing their own thoughts via Web-based chat rooms", said Wilson.
Mao Wei, director-general of CNNIC, said: "Staging APNIC 28 in Beijing is of great significance for the development of the Internet in China and the Asia-Pacific region. It is our common goal to build a stable, prosperous, and reliable Internet. CNNIC has always promoted the healthy and sustainable development of the Internet in China and in the world, and actively involves itself in advancing the international Internet community."
