The government of China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries should work closely with the private sector in information communication technology (ICT) development, said Ong Keng Yong, secretary general of ASEAN in Beijing Thursday. Yong made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the ASEAN-China ICT week that opened Thursday.

First, ICT can bring about efficiency to spur economic growth, but only if the population is sufficiently skilled to use it, said Ong. The private sector can play a key role in ICT training at all levels. Some of those trained may be future ICT innovators and the majority of those will be end users of ICT.

Second, the fast growth of e-business in China and ASEAN member countries highlights the need to regulate it, acknowledged Ong.

Yet government regulatory policies should not stifle business initiative. Therefore, feedback from the industry becomes important. Today, the private sector is playing an increasingly important role in the ICT industry.

Third, in developing economies, balance between IPR regulation and software pricing needs to be achieved, said Ong. The private sector can help develop ICT infrastructure and services to necessitate financing requirements that are beyond the state budgets.

Ong cited the example of Silicon Valley, the hub of global ICT development. "It has relied on close partnerships among government,private sector and educational institutions for its success," he said. "This is instructive for us."

Source: Xinhua