BEIJING—In a rare and exclusive interview for the English language newspaper China Daily, the Minister of Information Industry, Wu Jichuan, discussed his country’s telecom reform. He hailed the results after three years of reforms compared with European countries, which needed seven to eight years.
The most meaningful moment at the helm of China’s telecom development since 1993 was the initial public offering (IPO) of China Mobile on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchanges in October 1997. At that time, China Mobile was still part of China Telecom.
He said he regrets, however, that his policies were sometimes misunderstood.
Minister Wu told the paper that China has registered 60 million new mobile subscribers and 30 million fixed-line subscribers in 2001. He predicted that 50 million new mobile users will sign up this year in addition to 20 million fixed-line users. This would signify that subscriber growth in China has passed its peak.
China Daily also published a revealing profile of Minister Wu, covering personal details rarely covered in the Chinese press. The report said he is married to Mrs. Gong Shuangjin, a transmission expert, and has two daughters. The minister confessed to be good at cooking but regretted being too busy to indulge in his hobby.
