China.org.cn | September 22, 2020
Shou Xiaoli:
The reporters can now ask questions. According to the usual practice, please name the news organization you work for before asking your question. The floor is now open.
CCTV:
My question goes to Vice Minister Yang. As the 3rd Digital China Summit is approaching, could you elaborate on the achievements that have been made in the past three years to build digital China? Thank you.
Yang Xiaowei:
Thanks for your question. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee, with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, has attached much importance to the development of information technologies (IT). China's IT industry is developing at a rapid pace, and the country has published the Outline of National IT Development Strategy and the 13th Five-Year Plan on IT Development. To serve the overall strategy of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and in the face of profound changes rarely seen in a century, the 19th CPC National Congress outlined the strategic arrangements for building strength in cyberspace, a digital China and a smart society. In the past three years, we have made much headway in this respect. From 2017, the Cyberspace Administration of China has begun publishing progress reports on digital China every year in collaboration with related departments. As seen in the newly published 2019 Digital China Development Report, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, significant progress has been made in IT development in different regions and departments, and the industry is trending from larger quantity to higher quality.
Progress can be seen from the following five aspects:
First, IT infrastructure has improved. IPv6 deployment is gathering momentum. By the end of last year, the number of IPv6 active users reached 270 million, accounting for one third of China's total number of internet users; over 1.39 billion IPv6 addresses have been distributed nationwide. 5G commercial use is also gathering pace. By the end of 2019, China had a total of 130,000 5G base stations. The number of 5G users is also rapidly increasing. The BeiDou-3 satellite navigation system, with all its key components independently developed by China, went fully operational on July 31, offering a global positioning service with 10-meter or less accuracy. Products linked to the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System have been exported to over 120 countries and regions.
Second, innovations are driving IT development. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China was ranked 14th in Global Innovation Index among other leading innovative nations in 2019, moving up three spots from last year and marking a rise for the fourth consecutive year.
Third, the digital economy is developing in full swing. In 2019, the digital economy maintained high growth as its added value reached 35.8 trillion yuan, accounting for 36.2% of the GDP and contributing 67.7% to GDP growth. The structure of the digital economy is also improving. The value added in industrial digitalization accounted for 80.2% of the overall digital economy, promoting high-quality development of China's industries.
Fourth, digitalization is increasingly benefiting the general public. In the newly published e-government development index ranking by the UN, China was ranked 45th compared with 65th in 2018, joining the very high performing group in e-government. Poverty reduction through internet services is also making tangible progress as an IT service system for alleviating poverty has been largely established nationwide. China is also implementing the digital village strategy, which has brought fresh momentum to rural vitalization. The internet has empowered the disabled to enjoy equal access to all kinds of social activities. On China's main e-commerce platforms, the number of online stores run by the disabled has reached over 170,000, with a combined sales revenue of nearly 30 billion yuan.
Fifth, digital development along the Belt and Road is making new progress. The construction of the China-ASEAN Information Harbor and the China-Arab Online Silk Road is in full swing as China continues to build partnerships in promoting digital economic growth. By the end of last year, China had signed 197 Belt and Road cooperation documents with 137 countries and 30 international organizations, as well as bilateral e-commerce cooperation documents with 22 countries. China has also built terrestrial and submarine cables with countries along the Belt and Road to improve connectivity.
The Cyberspace Administration of China will continue to implement the arrangements made by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and plan ahead for the IT development in the 14th Five-Year Plan period to boost high-quality digital development in China. We'll mainly carry out the work in the following aspects.
First, draw up the plan for national IT development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Second, seize opportunities and speed up new infrastructure development. Third, improve capacity building and advance core technology breakthroughs. Fourth, boost digital transformation in the real economy. Fifth, promote poverty alleviation through internet services. Sixth, enhance governance capacity and speed up the building of e-government. Seventh, embrace innovation and advance rural development through digitalization. Eighth, stay committed to openness and cooperation, and press ahead with digital development in building the Belt and Road. Thank you.