The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council recently announced the “Overall Layout Plan for the Construction of Digital China” and issued a notice ordering all regions and departments to implement it thoroughly while considering their actual circumstances.
According to the scheme, the construction of digital China is an important engine for advancing Chinese-style modernisation in the digital age, as well as strong support for developing new competitive advantages.
Advancing the creation of digital China has a significant and far-reaching impact on the overall construction of a socialist modern country and the overall promotion of the Chinese nation’s rejuvenation.
The strategic path comprehensively improves the integrity, system and synergy of digital China construction, promotes deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy, drives digitalisation of production, life, and governance methods, and injects powerful resources into the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Chinese-style modernisation.
According to the project, by 2025, an integrated promotion pattern that is horizontally and vertically connected, as well as coordinated, and powerful would have been developed, and significant progress will have been made in the development of digital China. The following will be aligned also:
- The connectivity of the digital infrastructure is efficient;
- The quantity and calibre of data assets are expedited;
- The value of data elements is successfully unlocked;
- The quality and benefits of digital economy growth are significantly improved;
- The level of government digitisation and intelligence has increased substantially;
- The development of digital culture, among other things.
By 2035, the world’s pace of digital development will advance, and significant advancements will be made in the creation of a digital China. The systematic design of China’s digital construction is more thorough and scientific, and the digital development in the fields of economy, politics, culture, and social construction is more sufficient and coordinated, all of which strongly support the overall development of a modern socialist nation.
According to the plan, the development of a digital China will follow the general guidelines of “2522,” consolidating the “two foundations” of digital infrastructure and data resources while fostering the “five foundations” of digital technology and the development of economic, political, cultural, social and ecological civilisation.
The “two capacities” of the digital technology innovation system and the digital security barrier should be strengthened, and the “two environments” for digital development at home and abroad should be optimised.
Hence, the plan made clear that strengthening the groundwork is crucial to building a digital China. The first is to let the major digital infrastructure thoroughfares open. Accelerate the coordinated deployment of 5G networks and Gigabit optical networks, further encourage the widespread adoption of IPv6, and encourage the thorough growth of the mobile Internet of Things (IoT).
The project argues that to optimise the environment for digital development, it is imperative to construct a fair and uniform ecosystem for digital governance. This would help to improve China’s essential digital capabilities. The new development underlines the need to improve overall planning and task execution, including leadership and organisational capabilities.
The strategy also includes holding significant events like the Digital China Construction Summit, high-level domestic and international competitions in the digital field, spreading awareness of digitalisation to win support from the public and fostering an environment where the entire society is interested in and actively involved in the creation of Digital China.
