ZAGREB -- The World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit in China is "extremely significant" for the development and future of the internet, a Croatian expert told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The WIC Summit kicked off on Wednesday in the ancient town of Wuzhen in east China's Zhejiang Province.

"The world today is unimaginable without the internet, so such a high-level meeting as the 10th WIC Wuzhen Summit in China is extremely significant," said Igor Laktic, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Metric software company in Croatia.

During the Summit, "cooperation with China in the internet sphere will be deepened, and the experiences and challenges for the future will be discussed," Laktic said.

The summit has hosted nearly 12,000 participants from 172 countries and regions since 2014, greatly benefiting the development of the internet, Laktic said. It therefore "deserves a greater importance in the world than it has now."

The Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace initiative, put forward by the Chinese government at the WIC Wuzhen Summit in 2015, is also significant for the development and future of the internet, Laktic noted.

"Today, it is impossible to imagine any country or business without the internet, but it is also a very big responsibility not to abuse the internet. The Chinese initiative is going exactly in that direction and it is another confirmation that China is keeping up with the times," Laktic said.

Themed "Creating an Inclusive and Resilient Digital World Beneficial to All -- Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," the summit features 20 sub-forums covering topics such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and coordinated transformation for digital and green development.