China key to global Internet governance: CEO of ICANN

Fadi Chehade, President and CEO of ICANN. [File photo]

China has started to gradually take a leading role in the discussion on global Internet governance as Chinese government, enterprises and academic establishment began appearing more on international stage in recent years, said an industry insider ahead of the Second World Internet Conference.

"China is home to the largest number of Internet users and a vital, innovative and competitive Internet industry," said Fadi Chehade, President and CEO of ICANN, "China has started to gradually take a leading role in the discussion on global Internet governance and a truly inclusive global Internet governance system will be impossible without the participation of China."

ICANN, or the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, is a nonprofit organization consisting of leading experts in the business, technology and academia circle of the Internet world that is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and methodologies of several databases, with unique identifiers, related to the namespaces of the Internet.

The Second World Internet Conference will be held on December 16–18 in the picturesque water town of Wuzhen in eastern Zhejiang province, attracting more than 2,000 guests from over 120 countries and regions.

"I would like to meet old and new friends from China and the world at the Second World Internet Conference and take a stroll in the ancient town with my friends just as what I did with Jack Ma last year. It's very interesting and I'm looking forward to it," said Chehade.

Chehade was also a guest at the First World Internet Conference, which was held also in Wuzhen in November in 2014.