[LINK] China highlights data and digital-silk-road

[Stephen Loosley]

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China highlights data and ‘digital silk road’ in new plan to drive 
innovation as US tech rivalry intensifies


* China will adopt ‘forward-thinking plan’ for building digital economy, 
according to top planner and data agency

* Beijing will also boost international collaboration in digital trade 
and infrastructure through technology arm of the belt and road strategy


By Jane Cai in Beijing  Published: 5:58pm, 30 Apr 2024
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3260945/china-highlights-data-and-digital-silk-road-new-plan-drive-innovation-us-tech-rivalry-intensifies


China has pledged to push ahead with a plan to build a digital economy 
this year, drawing upon the country’s data assets to drive innovation 
amid an intensifying tech rivalry with the West.

China will adopt an “appropriate forward-thinking plan” to accommodate 
future digital infrastructure needs, accelerate the creation of a 
national integrated computing network and pave the way for breakthroughs 
in digital technology and innovations in key areas, according to a 
government circular on digital economy work for 2024.

Beijing will also boost international cooperation on the digital 
economy, speed up trade digitalisation, create a sound environment for 
international collaboration and advance the development of the Digital 
Silk Road, the technology arm of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, it said.

The plan was released by the National Development Reform Commission 
(NDRC) and the National Data Administration (NDA), and excerpts were 
made public on the NDA’s WeChat account on Monday.

The NDA is supervised by the NDRC, China’s top economic planner, and was 
inaugurated in October of last year as Beijing pushed to pump up a 
faltering economy through innovation amid growing competition for 
hi-tech dominance with the US.

Data authorities will advance the digital transformation of industries, 
improve competitiveness of core industries, nurture new business models 
and increase protections against online security risks, according to the 
work plan.

China will also increase cross-agency coordination to better monitor the 
digital economy, the plan said.

Another focus of the NDA’s work will be accelerating the sharing of 
public data among government departments and improving senior care, 
education, medical care and other services through better use of data, 
it said.

In an article in Communist Party theoretical journal Qizhi last week, 
NDA chief Liu Liehong praised Xi Jinping for making several “strategic 
deployments” based on his insights into trends in technological 
innovation, the demands of China’s rejuvenation and sweeping changes in 
the international environment.

Liu added that focusing on digital innovation, the commercialisation of 
data and digitalisation of industry would create “new space for China’s 
economic development”.

Liu noted that the computing capacity at China’s data centres was 
expanding, and efficiency had improved thanks to the Eastern Data and 
Western Computing project, launched in 2022 to address regional 
imbalances in digital resources.

During his visit to the southwestern megacity of Chongqing last week, Xi 
toured its digital city operation centre, which monitors emergencies and 
coordinates between municipal departments. While there, he urged local 
officials to “scientifically design big data platforms and network 
systems” and make better use of data to improve governance.

China generated more than 8.1 zettabytes of data in 2022, placing it 
second only to the US, according to the Cyber­space Administration of China.

The country also ranked second in aggregated computing power – 
particularly important to scientific research, data analysis, simulation 
and machine learning – and aims to scale up its capacity by 50 per cent 
by 2025.

China has signed several strategic deals with Belt and Road Initiative 
members aimed at cooperation in areas from e-commerce to digital 
infrastructure, according to Wang Yong, vice-chairman of China’s top 
political advisory body, speaking at the Digital Silk Road Development 
Forum in the northwestern city of Xian last week.

Launched in 2015, the Digital Silk Road aims to boost digital 
connectivity in countries involved in the belt and road, Beijing’s 
strategy to improve trade and economic integration across Asia, Europe, 
Africa and South America.

Wang said China would work with these countries to develop an “open and 
inclusive digital economy”.

Meeting his Bolivian counterpart Celinda Sosa Lunda in Beijing on 
Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the two countries should 
explore the potential for cooperation in areas including the digital 
economy, information and communication while protecting the common 
interests of the Global South and strengthening political mutual trust.



Jane Cai, CFA, is the Beijing Bureau Chief of the Post. She has been 
covering China's economic, financial, business and political news since 
the early 2000s.

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