Leading Chinese computer scientist inducted into 2017 Internet Hall of Fame

LOS ANGELES - A Chinese Internet pioneer has been inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame for his contributions to Internet technology, deployment and education in China and Asia Pacific.

Dr Jianping Wu, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, was one of 14 people selected this year for induction to the Hall of Fame, according to a statement released by the Internet Society (ISOC) on Tuesday.

Wu, also chairman of the Department of Computer Science at China's Tsinghua University, has since 1994 led the design, development and evolution of CERNET, the first Internet backbone in China, helping it become the largest national academic network, the statement said.

Hailing from 10 countries, the 14 inductees have pushed the boundaries of technological and social innovation, the ISOC said.

The inductees were selected by an Advisory Board of past inductees who guide the long-term planning and direction of the program.

Members of the Internet Hall of Fame, which was launched by the ISOC in 2012, include luminaries such as Vint Cerf, who is often called the "Father of the Internet" for co-designing its early protocols, and Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web.

The leading Chinese technologist has been named a Global Connector, a category which recognizes and celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the growth, connectivity, and use of the Internet either on a global scale or within a specific region that resulted in global impact.

"We always believe the Internet is international and one world, one Internet as I mentioned in 2010 when I got Postal award," Wu told Xinhua.

"I hope that China shouldn't profit from Internet only, but also should make more contribution to the Internet and strengthen collaboration with global internet organizations such as ISOC," he said.

He has also been a leader in the promotion and deployment of IPv6 in China, proposed the China Next Generation Internet Project -- designed to facilitate the development of China's next-generation Internet backbone -- and led the development of CNGI-CERNET2, China's first large-scale IPv6 Internet backbone and one of the largest native IPv6 networks in the world.

Wu has consistently encouraged the participation of Chinese scientists in global Internet development efforts and has played an important role in developing advanced networks in Asia Pacific and Trans-Eurasia.

"Ultimately the success of the Internet depends on the people behind it," Kathy Brown, ISOC President and CEO, said at the ISOC's 2017 Induction Ceremony on Monday at the University of California, Los Angeles, the place from which the first message was sent over the Internet's predecessor, the ARPANET, nearly 50 years ago.

The ceremony was held in conjunction with the ISOC's 25th anniversary celebration.

"These inductees personify the pioneering spirit of the 'Innovators' and 'Global Connectors' that have been so instrumental in bringing us this unprecedented technology. They are some of the earliest Internet evangelists and their work has been the foundation for so many of the digital innovations we see today."

Founded by Internet pioneers, the non-profit organization ISOC says its mission is to "ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet into the future."

ISOC is also the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards, in particular the standards that comprise the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP).