China Internet Conference 2013 kicks off
2013中国互联网会议拉开帷幕

China has the largest number of internet users in the world, and cyber crimes are rising along with on-line shopping and banking businesses. With personal data often illegally being a hot commodity, the importance of network security cannot be underestimated.

Scan to buy, the virtual world is very real. The Internet is changing our everyday life and there’s no going back.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reports that the number of Internet users in the country reached 564 million at the end of last year - almost as many as in North America and Europe combined.

Smartphone users reached 464 million.

Convenience has Chinese consumers relying more and more on Internet shopping.

And hackers are looking for easy money from e-transaction services.

"The Internet just right there and so easy to use. I shop online a lot. My computer used to get easily infected by viruses. I learned my lesson and now update my anti-virus software more frequently than before." Chinese consumer said.

At the 12th China Internet Conference, the Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology praised the rapid expansion of the country’s Internet industry. But he also warned about the challenges ahead - especially when it comes cyber security.

Shang Bing, Vice Minister of Industry & Technology, said, "The improvement of internet infrastructure and system upgrade have led to emergence of a batch of well-known enterprises in the industry which have strong global competitiveness. This has created a lucrative domestic market. At the same time, challenges still remain. Internet security in particular is the fundamental criteria for a healthy and sustainable development of the industry."