The 5th Digital China Summit is held in Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, July 2022. (PHOTO: VCG)

By CHEN Chunyou

Building a digital China is important for the country's advancement, and will provide solid support for improving overall competitiveness, according to a plan, co-released by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council in late February, aimed at fast-tracking digital development.

The plan vows to promote deepened integration between the digital economy and the traditional economy, and drive revolution in production, living, and governance through digitalization.

Notable progress will be made in the construction of a digital China by 2025, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy, and breakthroughs in digital technology innovation, said the plan.

It envisions a digital country with effective digital government services, a thriving cyberspace culture, widely accessible digital public services, and ecological governance empowered by digital technology.

Sci-tech enterprises are expected to play a leading role in the digital China initiative, and the enterprise-led cooperation between industries and academic institutions is to be strengthened, said the plan, which also calls for improved intellectual property protection, and a sound distribution mechanism of profits earned from the commercialization of research achievements.

In order to better empower socioeconomic development, the plan proposes to foster and strengthen core industries of the digital economy, roll out targeted policies, when necessary, to support their growth, and make them globally competitive.

Meanwhile, it calls for accelerating the application of digital technologies in key areas, such as agriculture, industry, finance, education, medical care, transportation, and energy, as well as supporting the development of platform companies.

In addition, China will strengthen international cooperation in the digital sector, join digital cooperation platforms under multilateral frameworks, such as the UN, WTO, G20, APEC, and BRICS, and engage in formulating relevant international rules on cross-border data flow, according to the plan.