Tianmu News:

You mentioned the digital economy a while ago. The scale of the digital economy has been rising in China, with its proportion to the country's GDP increasing continuously. I wonder what steps will be taken by the MIIT to promote its rapid growth. Thank you.  

Wang Peng:

Thank you for your questions. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development of the digital economy and has made important instructions on several occasions. Following the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has sought to work on weaknesses and build the strength of industries, ramped up our innovation capabilities, and has made positive progress in the deep integration of digital technologies and the real economy. China's digital economy has ranked second in the world for years, and its contribution to the country's economic growth has been rising. Let me introduce it briefly from two dimensions. First, the size of the digital economy has expanded continuously. In the first half of the year, the "contactless economy" such as online shopping, online education, and telemedicine saw faster development. The digital economy maintained a sound momentum, injecting strong vitality into economic growth. From January to June, the total revenue of the electronic information manufacturing industry, software industry, communications industry, and the internet surpassed 10 trillion yuan. These industries showed steady and positive momentum, and industry resilience continues to rise. Second, the digital transformation of industries has become faster. We worked to deepen the integration of the new generation of information technology and manufacturing industry, and the industrial internet has seen more solid, innovative development. The "5G+Industrial Internet" 512 Project forged ahead, which already has over 3,100 projects under it, and 700 were newly added in the second quarter of this year. We also implemented the intelligent manufacturing program, nurturing over 6,000 solution providers and covering more than 90% of the manufacturing sector. The numerical control rate of core procedures in industrial enterprises above the designated size reached 55.7%, and the popularization rate of digital research and design tools reached 75.1%. Traditional industries saw the faster process of digital transformation. 

Next, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will work on the following five aspects to build a sound policy environment for the digital economy. 

First, we will work on core technologies to promote the innovation and development of the digital industry. We will thoroughly implement the innovation-driven development strategy, seek to become independent in key and core technologies, make breakthroughs in the bottleneck of crucial sectors, and cultivate competitive companies that can dominate in their respective ecosystems to increase the resilience and competitiveness of industry and supply chains. 

Second, we will optimize the internet layout and quicken the development of new types of digital infrastructure. We will actively expand the construction of the 5G network and gigabit optical network as appropriate, implement the innovative development program of industrial internet, and map out the construction of intelligent, environment-friendly data and computing facilities. 

Third, we will promote the integration of the digital economy and the real economy, considering the needs of industries. We will extensively carry out the initiatives of the manufacturing sector's digital transformation and SMEs' digital empowerment. We will also expand the application scenarios of industrial big data, cultivate a batch of SMEs with high growth potential, advanced technology and strong market competitive edge as well as single-product specialists in the manufacturing industry, and build a landscape where small, medium, and large-sized enterprises develop together. 

Fourth, we will stimulate the vigor and potential of data factors to increase the economy's driving force. We encourage centrally administered state-owned enterprises and internet companies to make transparent their data that are needed by the market. We will also select several regions and industries to carry out pilot programs on the national data management standard to increase data supply nationwide and its quality. We will also issue guidance on data factor application scenarios and ensure the smooth circulation of data factors. 

Fifth, we will strengthen the governance of the digital economy to create a healthy ecosystem for its development. We will work on institutions, supervision, and security to improve our governance capabilities in the digital economy. We will deepen international cooperation on the digital economy, join hands to build an open, equal, just, and non-discriminatory environment for the digital economy, and facilitate the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Thank you.