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The year 1993 marked a turning point in China''s information industries development. China''s version of the National Information Infrastructure (NII) was launched, an ''informatisation'' policy office was initiated and actual implementation of the ''information superhighway'' begun. These actions distinguished China from much of the rest of the world, both developed and developing. By the government''s own calculations this infrastructure investment would cost upwards of US$ 200 billion. The initiative was to be developed in three stages with the first stage to be completed by the year 2000, at which time the basics of the NII would be in place. By that time the government expected to have established a high-speed communications platform covering the entire country. The platform would primarily support what was known as the projects of the ''Golden series'', a national economic information network, which included a variety of specific information service systems. Why and how was China able to develop and co-ordinate a national information infrastructure initiative? Given the problems that other countries experienced and the size and scope of the Chinese initiative, where would they strike problems of implementation?