A forum on the development of  China's Internet industry, jointly sponsored by the Information  Office of Beijing Municipal government and the website 21DNN.COM,  opened here Thursday.

   He Luli, vice-chairwoman of the Standing Committee of the  National People's Congress, Hu Qili, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative  Conference, and Beijing mayor Liu Qi attended the opening ceremony of the 2001 Beijing Forum on Internet Development.

   Participants will exchange views on security and management of  information networks, legal framework and international  cooperation relating to information networks, and the development  and application of wide-band and wireless technologies at the two- day forum.

   Experts said that the Internet industry still has a bright  future here in China, where the population with Internet access  totaled some 26.5 million by June 2001.