The biannual meeting of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) will meet for the first time in Mainland China when industry leaders meet to discuss numeric Internet resource issues in Beijing, China from 25 to 28 August 2009.

The event, hosted by the China Network Information Centre (CNNIC) is the pre-eminent IP addressing summit for the region and will be attended by a global audience of Internet industry professionals from telecommunications and Internet service providers, government representatives, educators, and technical specialists.

As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, China has become an influential Internet stakeholder as it uses the Internet to reshape its economy and push new and exciting Internet initiatives forward. A highlight of APNIC 28, an Internet in China Showcase, will focus on past and future ventures shaping the Internet in China. Speakers include Dr. MAO Wei, Founder and President of CNNIC, and Madame 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 to be discussed at APNIC 28 will make the Policy Special Interest Group meeting a lively and important session.

Policy directions formulated at this meeting and on the APNIC mailing lists have a direct effect on Asia Pacific organizations that make use of Internet number resources. Once again, discussions about how to manage the transition from IPv4 to IPv6 address space are prominent on the APNIC 28 agenda.

APNIC Director General Paul Wilson 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.

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."

MAO Wei, Director-General of the host organization, 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."

For more information about APNIC 28 visit the meeting website.

APNIC 28 is made possible with the valuable assistance of several sponsor organizations including Diamond Event Sponsor, China Mobile; Platinum sponsors, China Telecom, China Unicom and DotAsia registry; and Gold sponsors, PCCW Global and Hurricane Electric.

Media resources

Several APNIC and CNNIC spokespeople are available for media interviews on Wednesday, 26 August 2009. English speaking representatives include Paul Wilson, Director General, APNIC and Geoff Huston, Chief Scientist, APNIC. Chinese language interviews are available with Director-General of CNNIC, MAO Wei.

Other speakers can be made available on request. Speaker Biographies and Photos (print and web quality) are also available. Phone and email interviews can also be arranged. Press contact is available in English and Mandarin. Other languages are available on request.

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