China Electronics News:

We have noticed that China's manufacturing sector is quite keen on digital transformation. What has the MIIT done to support this transformation? What are your considerations for the future? 

Tao Qing:

Thank you for your questions. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has attached high importance to the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and made a series of instructions. The MIIT has conscientiously and solidly advanced all the major tasks, promoting the quick and high-quality digital transformation of the manufacturing industry. First, the digital infrastructure has been built to form strong support. We have built the world's largest optic fiber and mobile broadband network and had the world's second-largest scale in terms of computing power. The number of influential industrial internet platforms surpassed 340. Second, digital technologies and industrial supplies have been hugely improved. Technological innovation in cloud computing, big data, and other areas led the world. Industrial robots, industrial software, and other digital products and services continued to improve. More than 4,400 artificial intelligence enterprises emerged. System integration in steel, petrochemical, and lithium-ion battery sectors reached an internationally advanced level. Breakthroughs have been made in integrated chassis die-casting, precision manufacturing of battery cells, and flexible assembly of photovoltaic components. A comprehensive digital technological and industrial system started to take shape. Third, major sectors transformed at faster pace. As of the end of December 2023, we have incubated 421 national demonstration factories and more than 10,000 digital workshops and smart factories at provincial level. The demonstration factories of large aircraft, new energy vehicles, and high-speed EMUs shortened the research and manufacturing time by nearly 30% on average and improved production efficiency by around 30%. Intrinsic safety of demonstration factories in the steel, building material, and civil explosive sectors hugely improved, reducing carbon emissions by around 12%. The national service platform for the integration of informatization and industrialization served 183,000 industrial enterprises. The use of digital R&D and design tools in these enterprises reached 79.6%, and the numerical control rate of key production processes reached 62.2%. Fourth, the policy environment continued to improve. Different localities and government departments enhanced planning and policy guidance, innovated mechanisms, and provided stronger support, achieving many successes and creating models for others to follow.

Accelerating the digital transformation of manufacturing is imperative and in line with the trend of the new industrial revolution, enhancing the level of industrial modernization and building a modernized industrial system. Next, the MIIT will adhere to the deep integration of information technology and new industrialization as the main focus and prioritize the following four aspects:

First is to strengthen the foundation and accelerate the unified deployment and construction of bottom-level standard agreements, data flow rules, network infrastructure, and other key points and obstacles. Second is integrated advancement, constructing a work system that collaboratively promotes digital assessment, scenario cultivation, transformation demonstration, and widespread application. Third is the linkage of supply and demand, understanding enterprise transformation needs and barriers and adopting various methods, including opening scenarios on the demand side, joint tackling of challenges with a supply-demand competition mechanism, and nurturing high-quality solutions and service providers to enhance supply-demand matching, and improving the efficiency of digital transformation. Fourth is to implement targeted measures, cultivate specialized service provider teams in specific fields, adhere to enterprise-specific strategies, encourage enterprises with strong digital foundations to upgrade towards intelligence and accelerate the digitalization of key business processes in various industries. Thank you!