Country steps up internet applications

Buoyed by an uptrend in digitalization in China in recent years, and applications in various fields of digital solutions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the country is stepping up its building of a more digitalized society, with opportunities surging in the domestic market, said government officials and business leaders during the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in Zhejiang province on Thursday.

The East China province has widely utilized digital technologies to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. In the past three years, more than 600 new public healthcare projects supported by digital solutions have been launched.

"Applying digital technologies in the control of the pandemic has gained solid ground in Zhejiang. Digital technologies are not only technical means, but more of a working method and a lifestyle," Cheng Yuechong, vice-governor of Zhejiang, said at a forum during the Wuzhen Summit.

"Digital technologies have provided strong support for accurate, efficient and effective COVID-19 prevention and control. Zhejiang will further push forward digital development of the healthcare sector comprehensively," Cheng said.

As of June, China had 1.05 billion internet users, and the nation's internet penetration rate stood at 74.4 percent. The digital economy has become an important cornerstone to help stabilize economic growth, said a report released by the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies on Wednesday in Wuzhen.

In 2021, the value of China's digital economy reached 45.5 trillion yuan ($6.3 trillion), accounting for nearly 40 percent of the country's GDP, the report said.

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of Global Times, said the development of a digital society has changed the way information is disseminated, and the internet has provided strong support to help raise work efficiency since the pandemic. For instance, the internet enables people to work from home and use mobile-based health codes, Hu said.

"The pandemic has urged more offline activities to turn online, and online shopping and online meetings have become more common. Such a trend will certainly help promote the building of better internet infrastructure and further strengthen people's awareness of how to use the internet," he added.

Meanwhile, Jamaica's ambassador to China, Antonia Hugh, said in Wuzhen that COVID-19 encouraged more enterprises in the Caribbean country to make digital transitions and use more technologies in public and private sectors.

He said the crisis also created opportunities for Jamaica to reposition itself and build new digital infrastructure. The island nation is seeking strategic partners in China to help advance its efforts to further spur digitalization across the country.