Google and Facebook stay away but smaller US firms scout for business at China’s World Internet Conference
- Some American hardware providers attend state-backed event along with Chinese entrepreneurs Jack Ma and Robin Li
- Honeywell, Qualcomm, Intel, and Cisco Systems, as well as software and cloud services provider Microsoft attend event also known as the Wuzhen Summit
Many big technology names from the United States stayed away but some smaller American firms showed up for China’s main internet conference at the weekend, as the trade war between Beijing and Washington continues to expand into a technology conflict.
The state-run World Internet Conference, also known as the Wuzhen Summit, has been held in the canal town near Shanghai since 2014 as a platform for the Chinese government to promote its idea of global internet governance and export its own highly restricted internet model to other countries.
The event has attracted some top names over the years, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Google’s Sundar Pichai, both of whom attended in 2017.
This year’s attendees include the regional presidents of US internet hardware makers Honeywell, Qualcomm, Intel, and Cisco Systems, as well as software and cloud services provider Microsoft. But US internet giants such as Google, Twitter, Facebook and Apple did not take part. Google, Twitter, and Facebook are blocked in China, while Apple must use a local partner to offer cloud services.
Last month, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the nation’s internet regulator, said Apple had confirmed it would attend, but no one from Apple took part in any of the panel sessions. Apple did register for the conference, but “the attendee was called away for other matters”, a source told the South China Morning Post.
But a number of smaller US firms did attend in hopes of drumming up business.