China looking ahead to a smarter future

China's move to promote the development of smart cities has opened up a huge market for the country's high-tech enterprises, and forced many to rethink their business plans.

"The construction of smart cities involves not only government authorities, but also various types of enterprises that are now helping provide high-tech solutions for their future development," said Du Ping, chief executive and president of the State Information Center.

Du said that city governments have been urged to introduce services from the third parties during the construction of smart city facilities.