China to set up industrial base for QR code development

BEIJING -- China will soon establish its first industrial base for the development of two-dimensional barcodes, or QR codes, as companies rush to tap opportunities created by the widespread technology.

The China Electronics Chamber of Commerce (CECC) has signed agreements with Lianhuashan eco-tourism resort and the northeastern branch of Beijing E-hualu Information Technology Company to build the project in Changchun, capital city of northeast China's Jilin Province.

With total investment of 3 billion yuan (around $470 million), the project will contain a blue-ray storage data center, a scientific research area, an experience zone, and an incubator.

From mobile payment to shared bikes and messaging apps, QR codes are widely used in China and have made everyday life more convenient.

The industrial complex will focus on standardization, sales, R&D and QR code services, and it will help promote China's domestic system globally, said Zhang Chao, executive director of the China Registration & Certification Center of Two-dimensional Code, which plans to build similar bases across the country.

The center is a third-party public institution established by the CECC and the China Quality Certification Center.