China News Service, March 26. The 2024 Annual Meeting of the China Development Forum will be held on March 24-25, 2024. On the afternoon of March 25, the "Digital Empowerment Industrial Transformation Seminar" was held. In the "Keynote Speech" session, Liu Liehong, Director of the National Data Administration, introduced five new characteristics of the vigorous development of China's digital economy:
First, digital infrastructure support is more powerful. By the end of 2023, China has built a total of 3.377 million 5G base stations, a year-on-year increase of 46.1%. The number of Internet users reached 1.092 billion, and the Internet penetration rate reached 77.5%. The comprehensive level of computing power infrastructure ranks second in the world, and the total computing power scale exceeds 230 EFLOPS. More and more cities are becoming “double gigabit cities”, continuously opening up the main artery for the development of the digital economy.
Second, the vitality of data elements is even more explosive. Data production and storage have grown rapidly, and data resource development capabilities have continued to increase, providing abundant raw materials for digital applications such as the construction and operation of smart cities and the utilization of industrial Internet. Taking artificial intelligence as an example, the number of large models with more than 1 billion parameters in China has exceeded 100. Industry large models have deeply empowered fields such as electronic information, medical care, transportation, and finance, forming hundreds of application models and empowering thousands of industries. All industries promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.
Third, the digital transformation of the industry is deepening. Intelligent manufacturing and the industrial Internet have accelerated their development. 5G and Gigabit optical fiber networks have been integrated into 71 national economic applications, with more than 94,000 application cases. 300 5G factories have been built; the level of digitalization in key manufacturing areas has accelerated, and key processes have The numerical control rate and the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools have reached 62.2% and 79.6% respectively; as of the end of 2023, there will be more than 340 industrial Internet platforms with industry and regional influence, and the number of connected industrial equipment will exceed 96 million units (sets). It has effectively promoted cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the manufacturing industry and laid a solid foundation for the development of new industrialization.
Fourth, new business formats in the service industry have become more active. In 2023, China's online retail sales will reach 15.42 trillion yuan, and the mobile payment penetration rate will reach 86%, ranking first in the world. Immersive tourism supported by digitalization is becoming a new consumption growth point, and the number of online travel booking users has reached 509 million. The new driving force for expanding consumption has become stronger, and the "digital business and development of agriculture" has achieved remarkable results.
Fifth, public services are more inclusive. The Internet penetration rate in rural areas has grown steadily and has reached 66.5% by the end of 2023. Remarkable achievements have been made in the construction of digital government, and online public services have become more convenient and accessible. Developments such as smart travel and smart medical care continue to improve the happiness of the people. The number of online ride-hailing and Internet medical users has grown significantly.