The 4th U.S.-China Internet Industry Forum, co-hosted by the Internet Society of China (ISC) and Microsoft, opened on November 8 in Beijing.

Vice Minister of the State Council Information Office Qian Xiaoqian and U.S. Under Secretary of State Robert Hermes delivered keynote speeches.

More than 180 delegates from the Internet industry, government and academia will take part in the two-day event. The theme of this year’s forum is “for a more useful and reliable Internet.”

Delegates will discuss current hot topics such as cloud computing, combating Internet crime, how to protect online privacy and intellectual property rights, and the development of Internet law.

They will also exchange opinions and experiences on how to manage innovation and future directions of development of the Internet industry.

“Through these discussions, the forum will further promote the healthy development of the Internet and deepen the cooperation and communication between the Internet industries of China and the USA,” said Hu Qiheng, Chairwoman of the Internet Society of China. Ms. Hu, who is also Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology, was one of the pioneers of contact between the U.S. and Chinese Internet industries.

In June 2010, it was estimated China had a total of 440 million Internet users, accounting for one third of the country’s population.

About 115.08 million people in rural areas have access to Internet, accounting for 27.4 percent of China’s Internet users. The time people spend online continues to increase – with each person spending on average 19.8 hours per week, Ms. Hu said in a welcome speech to the delegates.

China and the U.S. have held three previous Internet Industry Forums since 2007 in Seattle, Shanghai and San Francisco.