世界眼中的MII

Facts & Opinions

世界眼中的MII

　
Posted: 11:45am Tuesday, March 24, 1998
　

　 Analysts watching as MII structure unfolds
By Sumner Lemon 　

　　　

　 Industry analysts are watching closely as details surrounding the structure and composition of the newly-formed Ministry of Information Industries (MII) gradually emerge from Beijing.
The MII was officially announced on March 6, as NPC delegates approved a plan to merge the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and the Ministry of Electronics Industries (MEI) into a new ministry.

In general, analysts in both China and Hong Kong agreed that Premier Zhu Rongji’s government restructuring program will be an important influence on the structure and direction of the new ministry.

The appointment of former MPT Minister Wu Jichuan as Minister of Information Industries means that Chinese government policies to separate operational functions away from the two former ministries will likely continue to be implemented as before, said Karim Davezac, director of research at market research firm International Data Corp.’s China group.

"I think he has an incentive [to implement those policies] from on-high, from Zhu Rongji. [Zhu] is going to play a big role in where the MII is going to go," he added.

Other analysts agreed with Davezac’s assessment.

"We view Mr. Wu’s appointment in the context of Premier Zhu Rongji’s no-nonsense style of governance. Mr. Zhu will provide the industrial policy outlines and it will be up to ministers, including Wu Jichuan, to implement them. China’s leadership is seeking to formulate information-related industrial policy in line with the future -- communications and computers are in many respects two sides of the same coin," said Ed Lanfranco, a senior analyst at Beijing-based China Research Corp.

As Minister of Information Industries, Wu Jichuan will answer to Vice-Premier Wu Bangguo, Davezac explained. A staunch supporter of Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo recently assumed the portfolio of outgoing Vice-Premier Zou Jiahua, who had overseen the implementation of the government’s IT policies before retiring from the State Council, he said.

As a vice-premier and member of the State Council, Wu Bangguo reports to Premier Zhu Rongji, he added.

However, keeping MII on a short leash may not be necessary as Wu Jichuan is generally seen by analysts as a capable technocrat who, like Zhu, is driven by the desire to achieve measurable results.

"[Wu Jichuan] is a result-oriented engineer, more of a technocrat rather than an ideologue. Bear in mind, however, Mr. Wu is also a disciplined [Communist] Party member who will follow the orders given him. I would characterize Wu Jichuan as having a strong sense of historical mission in his role at the MPT. While the head of that organization, he was committed towards China having a teledensity on par with the West, but also to bringing the benefits of technology to all parts of the country," Lanfranco said.

Nevertheless, some industry observers have said that Wu’s appointment to MII signals a victory of sorts for officials of the former MPT in their ongoing power struggle with officials from the former MEI.

Analysts said that while the creation of MII may not necessarily have put an end to the ongoing rivalries between officials from the two former ministries, Wu’s appointment to head the new ministry should not be automatically seen as a signal that former MEI officials will be shut out from power.

"The competition between the erstwhile MPT and MEI is best understood in the context of converging technologies. The telecommunications ministry was responsible for network connections while the electronics ministry was in charge of the country’s IT hardware and software industries. A variety of bureaucratic rivalries between the two ministries intensified as the distinctions between each side blurred," Lanfranco explained.

"It is too early to classify the merging of the MPT and MEI as a zero-sum game where one side has ‘won’ and the other ‘lost.’ It would not be in the best interests of the new organization for Mr. Wu to staff most or all key positions at the MII with members of the MPT. The Ministry of Information Industries will need the expertise of former MEI officials in order to formulate effective regulatory policies regarding computer hardware and software as well as to take on the task of implementing the merger of the two ministries at provincial and lower levels. If Mr. Wu does not seek to build a consensus among members representing non-telecommunications interests at the onset, he will find it difficult to accomplish the mission Premier Zhu Rongji has given him," Lanfranco added.

However, Wu will undoubtedly face some tough decisions as the two ministries are merged together and redundant departments are either eliminated or scaled back.

"One issue that you are going to have is that there are these research institutes around China, which are under both MEI and MPT, that are going to have to be integrated" and the differences between the two sides reconciled, Davezac said.

While the two former ministries have overlapping capabilities that will need to be trimmed in size, there has so far been no indication of the scale of any cutbacks that may be in the works, he added.

As uncertainty clouds the future of some departments under the former MPT and MEI, one organization that looks set for a boost is United Communications (Unicom), a telecommunications carrier tagged as the chief competitor to MPT-backed dominant telecoms carrier China Telecom.

"Unicom stands to benefit by the creation of the MII. The new body is responsible for the regulatory environment of information industries, thus market watchers are closely monitoring whether the playing field becomes more even or not. Mr. Wu’s appointment will accelerate the further opening of China’s telecommunications and IT markets if this is the policy set forth by…Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji. Since accession to the WTO remains a high priority for China, Unicom’s ability to compete based on its organization and service offerings is one of the bellwethers analysts are looking at," Lanfranco said.

　

---- 摘自 Computerworld Hong Kong

　

Mantained by Info Forum Web Developing Team

1998/08/08

	Posted: 11:45am Tuesday, March 24, 1998
	Analysts watching as MII structure unfolds By Sumner Lemon

	Industry analysts are watching closely as details surrounding the structure and composition of the newly-formed Ministry of Information Industries (MII) gradually emerge from Beijing. The MII was officially announced on March 6, as NPC delegates approved a plan to merge the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (MPT) and the Ministry of Electronics Industries (MEI) into a new ministry. In general, analysts in both China and Hong Kong agreed that Premier Zhu Rongji’s government restructuring program will be an important influence on the structure and direction of the new ministry. The appointment of former MPT Minister Wu Jichuan as Minister of Information Industries means that Chinese government policies to separate operational functions away from the two former ministries will likely continue to be implemented as before, said Karim Davezac, director of research at market research firm International Data Corp.’s China group. "I think he has an incentive [to implement those policies] from on-high, from Zhu Rongji. [Zhu] is going to play a big role in where the MII is going to go," he added. Other analysts agreed with Davezac’s assessment. "We view Mr. Wu’s appointment in the context of Premier Zhu Rongji’s no-nonsense style of governance. Mr. Zhu will provide the industrial policy outlines and it will be up to ministers, including Wu Jichuan, to implement them. China’s leadership is seeking to formulate information-related industrial policy in line with the future -- communications and computers are in many respects two sides of the same coin," said Ed Lanfranco, a senior analyst at Beijing-based China Research Corp. As Minister of Information Industries, Wu Jichuan will answer to Vice-Premier Wu Bangguo, Davezac explained. A staunch supporter of Jiang Zemin, Wu Bangguo recently assumed the portfolio of outgoing Vice-Premier Zou Jiahua, who had overseen the implementation of the government’s IT policies before retiring from the State Council, he said. As a vice-premier and member of the State Council, Wu Bangguo reports to Premier Zhu Rongji, he added. However, keeping MII on a short leash may not be necessary as Wu Jichuan is generally seen by analysts as a capable technocrat who, like Zhu, is driven by the desire to achieve measurable results. "[Wu Jichuan] is a result-oriented engineer, more of a technocrat rather than an ideologue. Bear in mind, however, Mr. Wu is also a disciplined [Communist] Party member who will follow the orders given him. I would characterize Wu Jichuan as having a strong sense of historical mission in his role at the MPT. While the head of that organization, he was committed towards China having a teledensity on par with the West, but also to bringing the benefits of technology to all parts of the country," Lanfranco said. Nevertheless, some industry observers have said that Wu’s appointment to MII signals a victory of sorts for officials of the former MPT in their ongoing power struggle with officials from the former MEI. Analysts said that while the creation of MII may not necessarily have put an end to the ongoing rivalries between officials from the two former ministries, Wu’s appointment to head the new ministry should not be automatically seen as a signal that former MEI officials will be shut out from power. "The competition between the erstwhile MPT and MEI is best understood in the context of converging technologies. The telecommunications ministry was responsible for network connections while the electronics ministry was in charge of the country’s IT hardware and software industries. A variety of bureaucratic rivalries between the two ministries intensified as the distinctions between each side blurred," Lanfranco explained. "It is too early to classify the merging of the MPT and MEI as a zero-sum game where one side has ‘won’ and the other ‘lost.’ It would not be in the best interests of the new organization for Mr. Wu to staff most or all key positions at the MII with members of the MPT. The Ministry of Information Industries will need the expertise of former MEI officials in order to formulate effective regulatory policies regarding computer hardware and software as well as to take on the task of implementing the merger of the two ministries at provincial and lower levels. If Mr. Wu does not seek to build a consensus among members representing non-telecommunications interests at the onset, he will find it difficult to accomplish the mission Premier Zhu Rongji has given him," Lanfranco added. However, Wu will undoubtedly face some tough decisions as the two ministries are merged together and redundant departments are either eliminated or scaled back. "One issue that you are going to have is that there are these research institutes around China, which are under both MEI and MPT, that are going to have to be integrated" and the differences between the two sides reconciled, Davezac said. While the two former ministries have overlapping capabilities that will need to be trimmed in size, there has so far been no indication of the scale of any cutbacks that may be in the works, he added. As uncertainty clouds the future of some departments under the former MPT and MEI, one organization that looks set for a boost is United Communications (Unicom), a telecommunications carrier tagged as the chief competitor to MPT-backed dominant telecoms carrier China Telecom. "Unicom stands to benefit by the creation of the MII. The new body is responsible for the regulatory environment of information industries, thus market watchers are closely monitoring whether the playing field becomes more even or not. Mr. Wu’s appointment will accelerate the further opening of China’s telecommunications and IT markets if this is the policy set forth by…Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji. Since accession to the WTO remains a high priority for China, Unicom’s ability to compete based on its organization and service offerings is one of the bellwethers analysts are looking at," Lanfranco said.