中国互联网政策阻碍了电子商务的发展吗?
杨继永
【关键词】E-commerce
【全文】
Does Chinese Government Policy Impact E-commerce
1.Introduction
As widely reported in both the Chinese and foreign press, by the end of June 30 2002, there are 45.8million Internet users in China although, partly, it is due to the huge population. In general sense, accordingly, it has been drawn an attractive perspective in the area of E-commerce which is being proved by the ever-increasing profit from it. Despite some obstacles existing, China is still viewed as one of the great-untapped Internet territories. Research firm IDC predicts that e-commerce revenues in China will grow from $43 million last year to $12 billion by 2004. Chinese government, thus, has been convinced of the existing and/or expected profit from E-commerce and meanwhile the government apparently finds there are still some potential risks, if necessary regulation is lack. In order to, more effective and efficient, regulate this unknown quarter, which is fragile and vulnerable sometimes, new law has to be legislated, some of which has been done. Obviously, since E-commerce is a new scope of economy, which is sometimes called new-economy, the regulations of E-commerce are not so mature all over the world, China as well. As we will discuss latterly, the current Chinese Internet regulations and interpretations are a little tight, vague, and sometimes unstable on the one hand it is still developing and creating, with little reference, on the other hand. It is predicted, optimistically, “The Asia Pacific region will overtake Europe and challenge the United States as the preeminent electronic commerce area within the next four years” . From that there seems little doubt that purposes and methods of Chinese government are positive, moderate, and creative. Moreover, different countries have different culture, social structure, and economic situation insofar as it is doubtless that there are no the same regulations of the E-commerce used by different countries, whereas some of them seems more developed than the others.
In remaining section we will take closer look on the main points, so-called issues, which are mostly reiterated by those who seem to know about China very much. Then, in the following part, the reasons, why those regulations are fit for China nowadays, will be given, compared with different situations between China and those developed countries, in particular the US and EU. Thus, for those reasons which are indicated above, Chinese current Internet, especially E-commerce, regulations and interpretations are acceptable and boosting the development of E-commerce. In addition, admittedly, those regulations are not without problems and it has to be improved to catch up with revolution of technology and economy. Hence all of these will be explored in the third part of this section whereupon some suggestion also will be considered.
