AsiaInfo Announces Appointment of Weiying Zhang to Board of Directors

Business Wire, Oct 17, 2003

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

BEIJING and SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2003

AsiaInfo Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASIA), a leading provider of telecom network and software solutions in China, today announced the appointment of Professor Weiying Zhang, a highly respected economic and management expert in China, as an Independent Director to its Board. Effective immediately, Professor Zhang will replace Mr. Steve Chang, who has been with AsiaInfo's Board of Directors since 2001.

Professor Zhang has had a distinguished career in the field of economic reform and management science since 1984, when he served as a research fellow of the Economic System Reform Institute of China under the State Commission of Restructuring Economic System. During this period, he was heavily involved in the development of economic reform policies in China. He is also known for his contributions to debates surrounding macro-control policy, ownership reform, and entrepreneurship studies. Professor Zhang received his doctorate degree in economics from Oxford University, and is now a Professor of Economics and the First Associate Dean of Guanghua School of Management at Peking University, one of China's most prestigious universities.

Professor Zhang's research interests include industrial organization, corporate governance and information economics. His works have contributed significantly to the ongoing formulation of enterprise reform policies and, specifically, the transition and development of Chinese State Owned Enterprises in China. He has extensive consulting experience with both governmental departments and business enterprises across various industries. He was a member of the Advisory Board on Enterprise Reform to the State Commission for Restructuring Economics, a consultant to the Department of Enterprises of the State Economic and Trade Commission, and a local consultant to the World Bank Project on Chinese State-owned Enterprise Reform. Currently he is a member of the Advisory Board for the State Informatization Committee, and is a member of the Advisory Board for Telecommunication Law Drafting Committee.

James Ding, Chairman of AsiaInfo's Board of Directors said, "We are very proud to have Professor Zhang join our board. As one of the most respected economists in China, his deep knowledge of China's macro-economic and business environment, his rich experience in supervising Chinese enterprises with very diversified industry backgrounds in their reform and strategy development, as well as his superior understanding of these enterprises and industries thus developed, will all add great value to our Board, especially in our efforts to seek further long-term sustainable growth for the company."

"It is our great pleasure to welcome Professor Weiying Zhang to our Board," commented Mr. Xingsheng Zhang, President and Chief Executive Officer of AsiaInfo. "His presence will not only add a significant expertise, but will assist us in further increasing our Board's diversity. Each and every one of our Board members, with their respective specialties and combined dedication, are certain to take AsiaInfo to new levels of success."

About AsiaInfo Holdings, Inc.

AsiaInfo Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:ASIA) is a leading provider of telecom network and software solutions in China. The company provides high-quality software and solutions to China's telecom carriers, meeting the demanding needs of a fast-growing industry. AsiaInfo's products and services cover network infrastructure services including design, implementation, operation and optimization, customer management and billing solutions; decision support systems; and service applications encompassing messaging, broadband, wireless and other advanced applications.

Organized as a Delaware corporation, AsiaInfo has constructed national backbones and provincial access networks for all of China's major national telecom carriers since 1995, including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Netcom. Since 2000, the company has successfully shifted its focus from Internet infrastructure construction to the provision of a full suite of telecom software solutions.

For more information about AsiaInfo, please visit http:/www.asiainfo.com.

This release contains projections and other forward-looking statements regarding future events and the future financial performance of AsiaInfo that involve risks and uncertainties. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Readers are referred to the documents filed by AsiaInfo with the SEC, specifically the most recent reports on Form 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, each as it may be amended from time to time, which identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. The financial information contained in this release should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in AsiaInfo's most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, each as it may be amended from time to time. Any projections in this release are based on limited information currently available to AsiaInfo, which is subject to change.