World Internet Conference: security tightens as China’s ‘Venice of the East’ gets set to receive foreign leaders

Aerial view of Wuzhen

Wuzhen inn owner Shen Guohua has been coerced to shut down his business this week.

The tourist destination in Zhejiang Province is off limits to regular tourists as it hosts top internet executives, government officials and overseas leaders for the World Internet Conference.

The conference, which gets under way on Wednesday and continues until Friday, involves much tighter security than last year’s conference, according to Shen and other residents.

Numerous tourists have been denied access into the town since Friday and authorities set up a security headquarters a few weeks ago, requiring residents to register.

“I think it (the tight security) is for President Xi Jinping and other top leaders,” Shen said.

Xi is scheduled to attend the event and make the opening speech, reflecting the importance the authorities attach to the internet as a source of economic development.

More than 2,000 participants from 120 countries and regions are due to take part in the conference, including eight foreign leaders and close to 50 ministerial-level officials.

Among them are Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Temir Sariyev and Tajik Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda, according to the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The founders of the mainland’s top three internet companies – Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu – are expected to make appearances, as well as executives from Apple, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Huawei, ZTE and tech start-up Didi Kuaidi.

The event comes as more overseas internet and technology companies look to China but are wary of restrictions and censorship.