Beijing at the Forefront of Digital Economy Growth
Beijing is taking the lead in driving the growth of the digital economy, as reported at the 2023 Global Digital Economy Benchmark City Construction Press Conference. Jiang Guangzhi, Director of the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, highlighted the city’s efforts to position itself as a leader in the digital economy. The focus has been on accelerating the construction of smart cities and cultivating the data element market, with impressive results indicating a strong and growing digital economy.
In the first three quarters of the year, Beijing’s digital economy achieved an added value of 1.406 billion yuan, marking an 8.3% year-on-year increase and accounting for 44.3% of the city’s GDP. Core industries within the digital economy achieved an added value of 822.67 billion yuan, contributing to the high-quality development of the city’s economy.
One of the city’s key strategies has been to lay out digital infrastructure ahead of time. This includes the launch of China’s first “computing resources + operation services” integrated construction project in the Economic Development Zone, which will provide a reliable supply of trusted computing power. Additionally, Beijing has built a total of 104,000 5G base stations and aims to continue accelerating the construction of computing power infrastructure, creating a computing power corridor in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
A new digital governance system has also been established in Beijing, with policies such as the “20 Data Elements” being promulgated to further strengthen the city’s digital economy governance capabilities. In addition, plans are underway to strengthen the establishment of a system to facilitate digital cross-border flows.
Technological breakthroughs are spawning new digital industry clusters, with a large-scale artificial intelligence model industry cluster emerging in Zhongguancun. This strategic advantage is consolidating Beijing’s position and nurturing new digital industry clusters. Through financial support and the creation of industrial parks, the city is paving the way for the growth of large artificial intelligence models.
Furthermore, Beijing is leading the way in the development of a data infrastructure system, including establishing the country’s first spatial data transaction and piloting a data-based system pilot area. The Beijing International Big Data Exchange has also seen significant growth, with a data transaction scale exceeding 2 billion yuan.
As Beijing continues to make significant strides in promoting the growth of the digital economy, it is expected to see further achievements and emerge as a benchmark for other cities in the digital economy sector. The city’s focus on infrastructure, governance, and innovation positions Beijing as a leader and forerunner in the digital economy.