Chengdu's cybersecurity chops on full view at tech event

National expo was attended by academicians, entrepreneurs and more than 90 internet companies

As one of the most important cities in western China, Chengdu in Sichuan province has played a leading role in implementing and serving the country's development plans and policies in recent years, according to the local government.

The city's role was in the global spotlight during the 2018 China Cybersecurity Week, which kicked off on Sept 17 across the country.

Themed "cybersecurity for people, cybersecurity by the people", the event is organized by more than 10 government agencies, the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Cyberspace Administration of China.

Chengdu was the host city for key activities during the event such as the opening ceremony, the Cybersecurity Expo and the 2018 Cybersecurity Week Forum on Cybersecurity Technologies.

Covering 22,000 square meters, the Cybersecurity Expo was the largest in terms of scale compared with previous years and integrated a variety of content covering cybersecurity education for professionals, technological innovation and industrial development.

The expo has attracted more than 90 top internet companies including Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, 360 Enterprise Security Group, Cisco and seven universities with world-class cybersecurity projects.

The Chengdu booth at the expo focused on the city's recent achievements in areas such as the top-level designs of cybersecurity, demonstration of products, teaching and research, and technological innovations.

The booth has combined Chengdu's profound cultural deposits with state-of-the-art cybersecurity technologies, giving visitors a strong sense of technology and art through advanced facilities such as somatosensory interaction devices, ground induction screens, virtual reality equipment and interactive machines.

The 2018 Cybersecurity Week Forum on Cybersecurity Technologies held in Chengdu attracted many renowned domestic academicians, entrepreneurs from internet and cybersecurity companies and experts and executives from countries including Russia, the United Kingdom and Germany.

They discussed issues covering the protection of key messages, big data security, protection of privacy, standards of cybersecurity, the development of technologies and industries on cybersecurity as well as cultivating professionals.

"The industrial scale of cybersecurity in Chengdu ranks among the top in the country and the city has its own advantages in holding the State-level event," said Yang Chunyan, deputy director of the cybersecurity bureau at the Cyberspace Administration of China.

As one of the three State-level industrial bases for cybersecurity, Chengdu is on the right track to form an industrial chain for research and development, design and manufacturing, as well as providing solutions and services, Yang said.

In 2017, the revenue generated by security businesses of cyber security companies in Chengdu reached some 18.8 billion yuan ($2.74 billion), the industrial scale of which accounted for more than one-fifth of the country's total.

In the first half of this year, the revenue was up 21 percent year-on-year and it is expected to exceed 22 billion yuan by the end of the year.

Zhang Xiaosong, director of the research center of cyberspace security at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, said Chengdu's advantage in R&D and industrial development has made the city an ideal place to host the cybersecurity week.

"It is a precious opportunity for Chengdu to show itself," he said, adding that information technology is now a pillar industry in Chengdu, which has formed a sustainable chain of cybersecurity industries with many famed enterprises such as leading Chinese tech company AsiaInfo, security service provider Venustech and 360.

Chengdu is also home to some of the country's key universities - including Sichuan University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Southwest Jiaotong University and Chengdu University of Information Technology - as well as many research institutes such as CECT 30, CECT 29.

From theoretical knowledge to practical application, the city has formed a complete layout of cybersecurity subjects and developed a systematic model for cultivating professionals, he said.

Shen Changxiang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said Chengdu has become a leader and explorer of China's emerging cybersecurity industries.

He added that it is a point of pride for Chengdu to hold such a big event and show the city's strengths and industrial foundations.

"I hope that the security of cyberspace in Chengdu will be a good example for other cities in China and could move further in terms of industrial development, professionals and legislation."

Rao Zhihong, chief engineer at China Cyber Security and chief expert at China Electronic Technology Group Corp, said the China Cybersecurity Week will further promote the development of information security industries in Chengdu and attract more professionals and projects to locate in the city.

(China Daily 09/26/2018 page19)