Li Yanhong
Editor’s Note:
Ten years ago, Li Yanhong (or Robin Li) co-launched Baidu.com, now a leading enterprise in China’s Internet industry. He, now Baidu’s chairman and CEO, has been determined to foster an enterprise with global influence, rather than being limited to the Chinese market. Is there an optimistic future for China’s Internet industry? What role do search engines play in shaping our world? Global Times (GT) reporter Yu Jianbin talked to Li Yanhong (Li), on these issues.
GT: China still lacks brands and enterprises with wide international influence. Can China make further breakthroughs in the Internet industry?
Li: As rising enterprises, China’s Internet companies have been growing through competition in free market. I think China’s Internet companies are obliged to make endeavors to go global.
As the Internet industry gradually matures, the next decade will provide real opportunities for Chinese Internet companies to move toward internationalization.
GT: You once predicted that China would have an Internet company with global influence within five years after the number of China’s Internet users became the largest in the world. Is this prediction being realized?
Li: Any innovation in Internet technology is promoted by market demand. We accordingly find solutions to realize innovation in practice. Innovation leads to new applications, which spread from a particular country or region to the entire world. World influence arises in this way.
Since 2008, China’s Internet industry has been maturing. The number of Chinese netizens has increased from 200 million to more than 400 million, accompanied by a more reasonable age structure and greater demand and purchasing power.
As Internet facilities are increasingly improved, more and more traditional industries have started to be tightly integrated with the Internet.
Accordingly, the influence of Chinese Internet enterprises is growing steadily. I believe in a few years’ time, Internet firms with actual world-class influence will emerge from the enterprises of our generation.
GT: The role of search engines is increasingly emphasized, not only as a technology but also as a strategic tool that concerns both a nation’s political and economic security. Many countries are strengthening independent research and development in this area. How do you see the role and future development of search engines?
Li: The birth of search engines has shortened the information gap for people from many different regions, social classes and industries. Search engines are playing a more and more important role in speeding up the evolution of knowledge.
Meanwhile, due to their accuracy, efficiency, low cost and wide coverage louis vuitton, search engines completely overturn traditional marketing conceptions and models, and have become a chief marketing tool of most enterprises.
More importantly, the development of search engine technology concerns not only the interests of clients and enterprises, but also a nation’s information security and citizens’ right to know.
Though Internet information technology develops at a tremendous pace, only four countries, namely the US, South Korea, Russia and China, have independent search engine technology.
China’s search engine industry is at a stage of rapid growth. My prediction is that for at least five years, China’s search engine market will keep expanding at a fast pace.
In fact, there are not so many entry barriers in China’s Internet industry. Therefore, as long as the market contin-ues to see rapid changes, constant opportunities and hope, new innovations will be developed, and more people will join the competition.
The Internet industry is going to witness fierce competition in the future.
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