The Development Gateway China Program?began on September
13?with a videoconference attended by participants in Beijing
and Washington representing the Ministry of Finance, State Council
Informatization Office, Development Gateway Foundation and World
Bank, as well as local donors including China Gateway, Gansu
Information Center, Shanghai Internet Economic Consulting Center
under the Shanghai Informatization Committee, and China Economic
Information Center under the State Information Center.?
The Development Gateway Foundation -- an independent, nonprofit
organization initiated by the World Bank and headquartered in
Washington DC -- promotes the use of information and communication
technologies for poverty reduction and sustainable development. The
Development Gateway's global portal of development knowledge and
services has become a center of information-sharing for the world
development community. Online communities of specialists have been
formed around such key development issues as e-government and
foreign direct investment. On the foundation's global public
procurement platform called dgMarket, users can access 30,000 open
bids from 150 countries on any given day.?
China joined the foundation as a founding member in May 2002.
The China Gateway portal attracts about 50,000 visitors each
month.? In April 2004, China signed an agreement to contribute
US$1 million in cash and US$4 million in kind to the
foundation.?The non-cash contribution consists of the
operation of the China Development Gateway; establishment and
operation of a Research and Training Center in Gansu; establishment
and operation of a Research Center in Shanghai; and organization of
an Information and Communication Technologies Asia Forum.
The launch?of the Development Gateway China Program shows
the country's shifting role from a mere recipient to a contributor
of financial and technical resources to the international
community.?Through the program, China aims to contribute to
the global and country's efforts to reduce poverty,?bridge the
digital divide and promote growth with equity.?
(China.org.cn September 13, 2004)