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CAICT
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Founded in 1957, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (hereinafter referred to as CAICT) is a scientific research Institute directly under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology {MIIT) of China. It cherishes the cultural philosophy of “Boosting prosperity with virtues and expertise” for years while adhering to the development positioning of •a specialized think-tank for the government and an innovation and development platform for the industry”. Committed to ‘”the think-tank and enabler for innovation and development in an information society”, CAICT has provided strong support for major strategies. plans, policies, standards, tests and certification for the development of the national ICT sector and the IT application, thus proving itsetf an important facilitator in the leapfrog development and innovation of China’s information and communications sector. It has been granted hundreds of scientific and technological awards to both national and provincial levels.
The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) is subordinate to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and is an increasingly important player in all aspects of China’s telecommunications and now digital economy sectors. Formerly known as the Chinese Academy of Telecommunications Research (CATR), it is still sometimes referred to by this name in industry circles.
CAICT includes a range of technical departments and experts that provide input to industry on critical issues such as standards, technical trials, and emerging technology sectors such as blockchain and AI that have applications in the information and communications arena. CAICT is a major player in China’s 5G mobile communications network trials, for example. Chinese government ministries are already conducting 5G trials to certify equipment compliance with performance and other technical standards, with the third phase completed in mid-2018. MIIT is overseeing these, with CAICT in particular playing the role of a key technical certifier in the IMT-2020 Promotion Group, a 5G development agency constituted by MIIT, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).
CAICT has recently put out a series of white papers, for instance on big data, blockchain, cybersecurity, and AI safety and ethics. These white papers provide substantial technical details about these technologies and how CAICT and MIIT view their impact on the digital economy. They also represent an effort by MIIT to assert a role within key technology sectors at a time when sometimes-competing centers of influence within China’s party-state are together setting technological standards and charting China’s official strategic direction.
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