SOURCE / ECONOMY
NDRC issues report on digital transformation, targets core technology breakthroughs
Published: Nov 17, 2022 01:04 AM
Photo: VCG

Photo: VCG


The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top economic planner, released a report on development of the digital economy on Wednesday, reviewing the past achievements in digital reforms while providing a clear vision and guidelines for the future as China aims for breakthroughs in "bottleneck" technologies.

In striving to achieve the goals, concentrated efforts will be made in promoting breakthroughs in key core technologies, while firmly supporting autonomy in the development of the digital economy, the report said.

Aiming at the frontier areas of global digital technology and major issues of core technologies, the country will gather strength to carry out leading research, with greater efforts in key areas such as integrated circuits, displays, software, artificial intelligence, big data and cloud computing, the NDRC said.

To achieve the goals, China will advance the deployment of digital infrastructure construction and create an industrial system with international competitiveness, while cultivating a group of ecologically led enterprises with key core technologies and international competitiveness in the fields of artificial intelligence and advanced computing, the report said.

Other efforts will also be looked into, such as further integration of digital technology into the real economy and shaping an internationally competitive digital industry cluster, according to the NDRC.

By 2025, the digital economy will enter a period of comprehensive expansion and the ability of digital innovation to lead development will be greatly improved, the report said.

In the past 10 years, China's digital economy has achieved world-renowned development achievements, achieving an overall scale ranking second in the world for many years, and its leading role in economic and social development has become increasingly prominent.

The scale of the core industries of the digital economy has accelerated over the past decade, which is partially reflected in the national software business revenue, jumping from 2.5 trillion yuan ($352.66 billion) in 2012 to 9.6 trillion yuan ($1.35 trillion) in 2021, with an average annual growth rate of 16.1 percent.

While China is strengthening its digital transformation, international cooperation in the digital economy has been expanded.

Up to now, China has signed Digital Silk Road memoranda of understanding with 16 countries, and it has established the "Silk Road e-commerce" bilateral cooperation mechanism with 24 countries as part of the country's efforts to share market opportunities with the rest of the world.

China will actively participate in international cooperation in the digital economy and promote the building of a community of shared future in cyberspace, the report said.