On November 6 local time, at the 121st meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) held in Dublin, Ireland, the Internet Society presented the 2024 Jonathan B. Postel Award to Professor Li Xing, Former Deputy Dean of Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace of Tsinghua University, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the global development of Internet technology.

Award Ceremony

Inthe citation, the Internet Society stated: "Professor Li Xing is one of the pioneers of the Internet in China. He has dedicated himself to the field of IPv6 and has made outstanding contributions to the development of the Internet in China, the Asia-Pacific region, and the world."

At the award ceremony, Professor Li Xingexpressed: "I represent a generation fortunate to witness and contribute to theremarkable journey of Internet development in China. This award is notmerely an individual recognition but also atribute tothe entire Chinese Internet technical community and the CERNET research team, as well as an acknowledgment of the rapid development and technological progress of China's Internet. I firmly believe that we must continue to improve Internet technology andpreserve the connectivity andthe singularity of theglobalInternet."

Professor Li Xing is one of the pioneers in the research and development of the Internet in China. He served as the Deputy Dean of Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace, Tsinghua University. In 1994, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Network Center of the China Education and Research Network (CERNET). Together with Academician Wu Jianping, the Director of the CERNET Expert Committee, led experts from universities across the country to build the first national Internet in China, the China Education and Research Network (CERNET).

In 1998, he established the first IPv6 testbed in China, CERNET-6BONE, initiating research into the next-generation Internet and dedicating himself to solving theproblem of interconnectivity between IPv4 and IPv6. He ledtheresearch team in inventing the stateless translation technology IVI andcreatively addressing the technical challenges of a smooth transition from IPv4 to IPv6. This innovation played a significant role in leading the global Internet evolution towards IPv6 single-stack.

The Postel Award was established in 1999 to honor individuals or organizations who have made outstanding and sustained contributions in service to the Internet community. The Internet Society established this award in honor of Internet pioneer and technology master Jonathan Postelin 1998.Theselection has beenmadeannuallysince1999. This year’s award was alsopresented to Dr. Steve Crocker from the United States along with Professor Li Xing.

Currently, there are 24 Internet experts who have received this honor, including two Chinese experts. Academician Wu Jianping, the Dean of Institute for Network Sciences and Cyberspace, Director of the Information Technology Center, and Director of the CERNET Expert Committee, is the first Chinese scientist to be awarded the Jonathan Postel Award. Professor Li Xing is the second recipient in China.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of China's full-scale access to the global Internet and the 30th anniversary of CERNET. The Internet Society presenting the Jonathan Postel Award to Chinese expert once again holds significant meaning.

Award Ceremony Video