5G-based robots play the piano at the Light of Internet Expo in the river town of Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province, on October 18, 2019. Photo: Xinhua

15 intelligent robots move back and forth to transport polyester filament that rolls off the production line in the Xinfengming Group Co, a fiber company in Jiaxing, East China's Zhejiang Province.

At the same time, a live feed of the production is transmitted through a 5G network to the company's industrial internet platform in 8K ultra-high-definition images. The platform facilitates centralized management, operation scheduling and remote control.

This is an example of how Chinese companies are using digital technology to facilitate the upgrading and transformation of the manufacturing process.

As China is fostering the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy to promote high-quality economic development, "industrial internet" has become a key term at the 6th World Internet Conference being held in the river town of Wuzhen in Zhejiang.

When addressing a sub-forum themed "Innovations and Breakthroughs for Industrial Development," Chen Zhaoxiong, vice minister of industry and information technology, said the development of China's industrial internet has been on a fast track, with more than 50 influential platforms being established. The number of industrial applications has reached more than 1,950, covering more than 100 industries.

"The industrial internet has penetrated many industries such as steel, infrastructure, aerospace and home appliances, [and has] effectively promoted the digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. It helps reduce costs and improve efficiency, helping some enterprises increase productivity by 20 percent," Chen said.

Zhejiang has become a forerunner in the use of the industrial internet to empower its manufacturing industry.

Yuan Jiajun, governor of Zhejiang, said the province will further enhance the service capabilities of industrial internet platforms, including the supET Industrial Internet Platform developed by Alibaba Cloud.

"As technological innovation is key to industry digitization, we will pool wisdom from universities and research institutions including Zhejiang Lab to develop key and core technologies in this area," Yuan said.

Inspur Group, a cloud computing and big data supplier is dedicated to constructing industrial internet platforms for companies from different industries.

Sun Pishu, CEO of the Inspur Group, said at the forum that the adoption of the industrial internet has expanded from large companies to small and medium-sized companies.

"China has become a world pioneer in consumer-oriented internet platforms and applications, and I believe industrial internet will become a new engine for the country's digital economy. I hope more investment and policy support will be delivered to foster strong industrial internet platform operators," Sun said.

According to Wu Hequan, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5G technology will bring more potential for the industrial internet as it will offer more stable connections, and its low latency and high-speed broadband will better supply its requirements.

5G application in civil aircraft manufacturing was one of the world's 15 leading scientific and technological achievements in the internet sector unveiled during the conference.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) has partnered with China Unicom, Huawei and Shanghai Jiaotong University to build a 5G-based industrial internet platform which facilitates smart decisions throughout the supply chain.

"Aircraft are dubbed the crown jewels of the modern manufacturing industry as they involve highly complicated systems. The applications of 5G and the industrial internet will help improve the quality and competitiveness of China's large aircraft," said Wei Yingbiao, chairman of COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co.

The fast development of the industrial internet also brings an increased demand for cybersecurity. Zhuang Rongwen, director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said China needs to enhance the industrial internet's security system that covers hardware, software and data protection.

Zhuang said that, as the global supply chain and industrial chain become more closely linked together, the development of the industrial internet calls for international cooperation.

China will foster international cooperation in policymaking, formulating technical standards and personnel training for the industrial internet, so as to build a safe, reliable, and transparent international system, Zhuang added.