¡¡BEIJING, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- The China Wired Authentication and Privacy Infrastructure (WAPI) Industrial Union was set up hereon Tuesday, with 22 enterprises becoming the first batch of members.

    "The union should serve as a communication bridge between telecommunications operators and enterprises and play a better role in the further research, development and industrialization ofWAPI," said Zhang Xinsheng, deputy director of the Technological Department of the Ministry of Information Industry, at the openingceremony.

    The union, which includes the nation's four biggest telecommunications operators, as well as such key enterprises as Lenovo, Huawei and Beijing Founder Electronics Co. Ltd, aims at promoting China's own technological standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN).

    WAPI, which was developed by China, was listed as a state standard in 2003. The technology, in direct competition against 802.11i dominated by Intel, is waiting for a vote due by March 7todetermine whether it will be adopted as an international standard.     

    WAPI is believed a solution to the security loophole of the existing 802.11 WLAN standard.

    Officials from the National Development and Reform Commission, the ministries of Information Industry and Science and Technology attended the ceremony. Enditem