Southern Metropolis Daily:

We noticed that the MIIT recently solicited public opinion on further improving the service capacity of mobile internet applications, aiming to optimize the services and enhance user experience. What achievements has the MIIT made in promoting ICT serving people's livelihoods in the past year? What's the next plan? Thanks.

Zhao Zhiguo:

Thank you for your question. The MIIT attaches great importance to the protection of users' rights and interests and personal information, and continues to improve the ICT capacity and services so as to effectively protect the legitimate rights and interests of users.

First, the quality of services has been improved, and user perception has been refined constantly. We launched campaigns to improve service perception and guided information and communications enterprises to provide quality services. We optimized the business handling process, realized online and remote telecommunication services such as plans change, contract cancellation, and other common services; promoted 100 key internet enterprises to establish customer service hotlines with real person responding to users' demands timely; prompted app stores to improve their review mechanism before launching an app. By the end of last year, the number of various high-quality apps in use exceeded 2.58 million in China, and intelligent applications have enriched people's production and life.

Second, we have improved the accessibility of convenient digital services. More solid outcomes have been delivered and shared by all. We have continued to expand the coverage of the internet, further promoted universal telecom services, supported rural and remote areas to speed up the coverage of the internet, and worked hard to realize broadband connection in all administrative villages nationwide for the first time in history. We have also adopted targeted fee cut measures like preferential policies for special groups such as micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), poor households, the elderly, and the disabled. As a result, the average rates for broadband and dedicated internet access services for MSMEs have dropped by 24.2% and 21.9%, respectively, as compared with those in December 2021. More than 32 million households of seniors and disabled people have benefited from the measures, doubling the number in 2021. By doing so, users are increasingly feeling the benefit. We have steadily improved telecom services for the convenience of senior citizens by facilitating usage and improving service quality. Enterprises have been encouraged to provide elderly users with telecom services that can be handled remotely and to resolve technical difficulties for them. A total of 648 websites and apps have finished such improvements.

Third, we have improved oversight effectiveness. Protection of users' rights and interests has been strengthened. We have enhanced management at the source, urged and guided app stores and other distribution platforms to fully harness the role of "goalkeepers," so that apps are reviewed and hit the shelves in accordance with laws and regulations. In 2022, we conducted tests on 1.51 million apps in six batches, achieving a much higher percentage of passing than in 2021. We have built a strong technology shield and established an anti-fraud platform in the ICT industry. Since 2022, we have intercepted a total of 1.82 billion scam phone calls. Cyber security and protection have been increasingly strengthened. We have improved the governance model, curbed spamming on an ongoing basis, intensified administrative guidance, and made regulatory bodies get involved at earlier stages. By doing so, complaints from users dropped to the lowest level in history.

ICT services concern the interests of hundreds of millions of users. Providing high-quality services is an important part in pursuing a people-centered development philosophy. Next, we will focus on our work in three aspects.

First, we will enhance policy guidance to foster an enabling environment for the industry. We will take action to increase the service capacity of mobile applications so that both service supply and user experience will be improved. We will also build a public service platform involving mobile applications to efficiently support the regulation and development of the industry. In addition, we will develop sound systems to coordinate our work, strengthen the self-discipline of the telecom industry, and create an enabling environment for its healthy and orderly development.

Second, we will focus on key problems to address the concerns and aspirations of the people, such as personal information protection and telecom and internet fraud. We will strengthen the regulation of apps at all stages for all entities, urge app stores, terminals, and other key links to fulfill their primary responsibility, and realize joint prevention and governance throughout the industrial chain. We will also accelerate the establishment of a united resource database for the industry to combat fraud, and step up efforts to promote the service that enables citizens to inquire about all mobile phone cards registered under their own ID numbers. Integrated protection capacity will be enhanced, and a sound environment for information consumption will be jointly fostered.

Third, we will step up efforts to improve our capacity to benefit the public and provide more convenient services. We will advance online and cross-regional handling of telecom services, carry out consumer satisfaction measurement of key internet services, speed up the improvement of websites and apps with local features, and provide more comprehensive, considerate, and satisfactory ICT services. 

Thank you.

Shangyou News:

Rapid development of the green energy equipment industry is one of the important areas of forging new industrial competitive strengths of green and low-carbon industries. How did the situation of the green energy equipment industry develop in 2022? What new measures will be taken next to further boost the industry? Thank you.

Tao Qing:

Thank you for your questions. To develop the green energy equipment industry is an important measure to promote green and low-carbon development and achieve our carbon peak and neutrality targets. In recent years, the MIIT has worked with relevant departments to issue and implement an action plan to improve energy efficiency in industries, making a big push to develop the green energy equipment industry.

First, we have accelerated the promotion of high-efficiency and energy-saving equipment. We issued a catalog of selected and recommended energy-saving technologies and equipment in the field of industry and information technologies. Also, we moved faster to promote 133 pieces of energy-saving equipment, including high-efficiency electric motors, transformers, compressors, and draught fans.

Second, we have built up manufacturing capability and competitive production capacity in the whole industrial chain of renewable energy, including wind and photovoltaic power and lithium-ion batteries. At the end of 2022, China led the world with the photoelectric conversion efficiency of self-developed silicon heterojunction cells. The output of wind power generators in China accounted for two-thirds of the world's total. The single-unit capacity continued to grow, with the capacity of the latest developed onshore wind power generator exceeding 6 MW. In 2022, the newly installed capacity of wind and photovoltaic power reached more than 120 million kW, and their cumulative installed capacity exceeded 700 million kW, driving the installed capacity of renewable energy to exceed 1.2 billion kW.

Next, we will stick to our carbon peak and neutrality targets, implement the plan to improve the energy efficiency of electric motors and transformers, organize the compiling of the energy-saving technologies and equipment catalogs in the field of industry and information technologies, and hold a series of themed events at enterprises to promote energy conservation service. By speeding up the development of the green energy equipment industry and e-energy industry in the field of wind, solar, and hydroelectric power, hydrogen energy, and energy storage, we will push green and low-carbon development to a new level and make a positive contribution to the green transition in all respects of economic and social development.

Thank you.