The EU-China Information Society project is a joint initiative between the Chinese Government and the European Union. The project started in July 2005 and runs through to the end of June 2009. This project is implemented under the framework of the European Union’s technical assistance in China, specifically to promote economic and social reform through informatisation. The Chinese Government is represented by the State Council Informatization Office (SCITO).

The project aims to strengthen high-level dialogue and exchanges in Information Society between China and the EU through four main objectives:

1. Designing a regulatory framework by introducing best practises from the EU: the project supports the Chinese Government to enact and implement essential laws, regulations and non-legislative measures to improve the legal and regulatory environment. Focus areas include telecommunications policy, access to government information, personal data protection, online copyright issues, electronic signature, electronic contracts, information security and online arbitration. These topics will be carried out through conferences, studies, internships, workshops, seminars and study tours.

2. Improving government services and transparency through e-government demonstration projects in selected Chinese cities: the project is involved in 6 e-government demonstration projects in Chengdu, Yantai, Handan, Baotou, Yangquan and Xi’an. These e-government projects cover emergency health response systems, smart cards for social security applications, geographical information systems (GIS), public service systems and social security services.

3. Carrying out regulatory and e-government training courses in selected provinces: training is provided on e-government services and legal topics in selected provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai, Gansu, Guangdong, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Xinjiang and Yunnan. The project also supports the Advisory Committee for State Informatisation (ACSI) carry out research projects in Foshan, Suzhou and Jiyuan.

4. Create an Information Society Knowledge Base to support knowledge transfer and create an online learning environment. The project also hosts an annual information society conference, research into Digital Divide, information society benchmarking and management training programmes.

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