The year 2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the concept of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Since its inception, this concept has consistently emphasized the close connection between global internet governance and the human community of shared future. It reflects a strong focus on the well-being of all humanity and the widespread expectations of the international community for cooperation and trust in cyberspace.

A seminar will be held during the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit to commemorate the 10th anniversary of this initiative. This seminar will summarize the great achievements and vivid practices in the past decade, reflect on the past, look toward the future, and further promote the implementation of this concept.

As the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit is around the corner, Jiaxing, the host city, has showcased a vibrant digital ecosystem, previewing the summit's ideals in action.

Themed "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Digital Future — Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace", the summit will take place in Wuzhen town, Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, from Nov 6 to 9.

Jiaxing-based Jiuzhou Cultural Media Co, established in 2021, has been driving global outreach of short dramas via its platform ShortMax. Launched in 2023, the platform has covered over 200 countries and regions with more than 90 million users and 200 million downloads.

Adopting a "translation and self-production" model, the company not only produces multilingual adaptations of high-quality domestic short dramas but also customizes content for different regions.

"We will share internet-enabled content creation and global dissemination insights at the summit," said Wang Weizhi, the company's vice-president. With the development of AI technology, short dramas will reach more overseas audiences. Wang added that Jiuzhou is exploring a diversified empowerment model for short dramas.

The World Internet Science and Technology Museum, located in Wuzhen town next to the Light of the Internet Expo Center, has been upgraded for the summit. Exhibits of the action role-playing games Black Myth: Wukong and Black Myth: Zhong Kui will be displayed.

Over 130 exhibits in the internet field and interactive experiences like brain-controlled technologies and MR stations will guide visitors through the past, present, and future of the internet to witness the key technologies, landmark events, and important figures in the development of the global internet.

During the summit, a special exhibition focusing on the AI exploration and practices in Zhejiang will highlight computing power, models, chips, and applications, featuring cutting-edge technologies.

This year, the summit for the first time extends its venue to the Puyuan Fashion Resort, where the Internet Life Carnival will be held from Nov 5 to 9. Blending the ancient town's cultural heritage with cyberpunk tech vibe, it will offer digital experiences, AI products, smart home solutions, trendy brands, and immersive entertainment.

The carnival aims to turn advanced technologies into touchable, interactive experiences for the public, forming a closed loop of discussing the future at Wuzhen Summit while experiencing it at Puyuan.

The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, to be held from Nov 6 to 9, will hold a special significance as it commemorates the 10th anniversary of the vision to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace. Watch this video to explore how a decade of dedication has transformed this vision from proposal to practice, creating new pathways for international collaboration in our increasingly connected world.

Video: Ma Mengmeng and Song Yi

The book Why Wuzhen, written by Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the World Internet Conference (WIC), was published before this year's Wuzhen Summit, which will run from Nov 6 to Nov 9.

Ren documents the complete ten-year journey of the WIC Wuzhen Summit, from its inception in 2014, to its global reach in 2024 in the book.

"There is a famous saying in the internet industry: 'We don't predict the future; we create it,'" Ren wrote in the book. "In Wuzhen, one can have a strong sense that the future is already here."

An excerpt from the book describes Wuzhen as a "testing ground for the internet", highlighting the deployment of advanced technologies.

Examples cited include 5G-operated remote driving, unmanned public minibuses, 5G patrol robots, and smart hotel systems equipped with facial recognition and voice controls.

The text also notes that WIC events, such as the Straight to Wuzhen Competition and the Light of Internet Expo, function as platforms for new technologies and applications.

"In 2019, the 50th year since the invention of the internet, technological leaps have significantly compressed space and time," Ren wrote. "Looking back at human history, no other technological invention has changed human production and life as extensively and profoundly as the internet."

This year, the Straight to Wuzhen Competition has set up six tracks, such as artificial intelligence and intelligent digital healthcare, and the Light of Internet Expo will set up themed exhibition areas focusing on AI fields and carrying out internet science popularization for the first time.

The WIC Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology has collected more than 400 achievements from 34 countries, covering frontier fields like embodied intelligence and 6G. The award results will be announced as scheduled during the summit.

As a highlight of the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, executives from the "Six Little Dragons" — a group of rapidly-rising tech start-ups in Hangzhou, including Game Science, DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics, DEEP Robotics, BrainCo and Manycore Tech — will engage in dialogues to exchange views on the latest developments in artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, and to explore cross-sector cooperation in addressing global issues.

This year's summit, themed "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Digital Future — Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace", will be held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, from Nov 6 to 9.

The event will bring together senior representatives to discuss frontier issues such as AI governance and digital economy cooperation, according to Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC.

The establishment of the "Six Little Dragons Dialogue" aims to showcase China's frontier innovations, build a platform to foster collaborative innovation, and strengthen the connection between innovative practices and global agendas, Ren said.

The "Six Little Dragons" represent the new driving forces in frontier technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and brain-computer interfaces.

"Building an open, secure and inclusive digital future calls for the active participation of these innovation-driven enterprises with global vision," Ren said.

Located in Zhejiang province, the ancient water town of Wuzhen has served as the permanent venue of the WIC since 2014, becoming a key platform for discussing global internet developments.

Ren noted that the growth of Hangzhou's "Six Little Dragons" is closely linked to the favorable innovation ecosystem that has been fostered by the Wuzhen Summit.

The World Internet Conference (WIC) Global Youth Leadership Program has gathered hundreds of young, talented individuals since its launch in 2023. This year, 20 of them were selected as WIC global youth leaders, each representing different voices from 20 countries and regions.

The young leaders were recognized for their remarkable contributions to cyber-related subjects, such as internet research, policy-making, public service and entrepreneurship, playing a vital role in building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

In the field of internet research, Millenium Anthony from Tanzania focused on digital communities, empowering young girls and young women with the mentorship and digital skills they need to thrive in tech driven spaces.

Roser Almenar from Spain and Mohammed Alfarra from Germany demonstrated the important applications of artificial intelligence as a digital tool across a variety of fields.

As the information and communications technology commissioner of Ugandan Parliament, Isaac Kamugisha advocates for leadership in guiding a sustainable digital transformation and global collaboration in policy and innovation.

In the field of public service, Giannina Honorio Heredia from Peru emphasized the role of youth-led initiatives in promoting digital inclusion and sustainable development, particularly in AI-driven sign language teaching, digital health services for seniors, and IoT-based air quality monitoring.

Hu Zhenquan, as an entrepreneur from China, took the lead in establishing the 360 Digital Security Group in 2019. Under his leadership, the team overcame widespread technical challenges in the field of digital security. In fiscal year 2024, the group collected nearly 1.2 billion yuan ($168 million) in revenue, while providing more reliable, lower-cost network security protection to the world.

The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit is scheduled to take place from Nov 6 to 9 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, the summit will acknowledge the progress and achievements made over the past decade, Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, said at a news conference in Beijing.

The 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit is expected to create an open platform for international exchanges and cooperation in digital technologies, while helping the global community to seize opportunities brought on by a new round of scientific and technological revolution to benefit humanity, the event's organizer said on Friday.

The summit is scheduled to take place from Nov 6 to 9 in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, with the theme "Forging an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Digital Future — Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace."

It will focus on new trends in cutting-edge internet technologies and new developments in cyberspace governance, and discuss technology-driven industrial innovation and practices, as well as approaches concerning the governance of cyberspace and frontier technologies, said Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC.

Ren made the remarks at a news conference in Beijing.

He noted that as this year marks the 10th anniversary of a proposal to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace, the summit will comprehensively summarize the great achievements and vivid practices made over the past decade.

This year's summit will invite business leaders from the "Six Little Dragons" — a group of Chinese tech startups based in Hangzhou, such as DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics, to participate in a dialogue regarding global trends in artificial intelligence innovation and development, and to explore how cross-sector collaboration can help address global challenges, Ren said.

The event will set up 24 sub-forums, while heads and senior representatives from major international organizations, renowned experts and scholars, and executives from leading internet enterprises, including Alibaba, Sohu and 360, have confirmed their attendance.

At present, AI has made breakthroughs with new business models rapidly emerging and innovative applications expanding at an accelerated pace, bringing huge opportunities for the economic and social development of all countries, but AI technologies also bring about risks and challenges, Ren said.

Moreover, a theoretical symposium marking the 10th anniversary of the concept of building a community with a shared future in cyberspace will be held during the event, while specialized committees on e-commerce and cultural heritage digitalization will be established.

AI technologies and industrial development will be under the spotlight during the summit, with five AI-themed sub-forums to be held, said Zhao Cheng, head of the publicity department of the Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China.

This year's Light of Internet Expo will showcase the remarkable achievements of AI in production and people's daily lives, while themed exhibitions featuring the debut of products in embodied intelligence and quantum technology will be held, Zhao added.

Meanwhile, as new problems are emerging along with the rapid development of AI, the forum on AI technology innovation and governance will bring together experts, scholars, and entrepreneurs from around the world to engage in in-depth discussions on improving AI ethical standards and enhancing collaborative governance.

China's AI sector will make big strides in the next 10 to 15 years, with its market size reaching 1.73 trillion yuan ($242.8 billion) by 2035, accounting for 30.6 percent of the global total, according to market research company CCID Consulting.

The nation has solidified its position as a global leader in AI innovation, and released 1,509 AI models to date, ranking first among the 3,755 models launched globally until now, according to the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology.

fanfeifei@chinadaily.com.cn

BEIJING -- China's internet sector saw solid growth in business revenue in the first eight months of 2025, data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed.

From January to August, China's major internet companies and related services companies generated about 1.29 trillion yuan (roughly $181.46 billion) in business revenue -- up 2.2 percent year-on-year and featuring a growth rate 0.8 percentage points faster than in the first quarter of 2025.

Cumulative profits of major internet companies reached 106.3 billion yuan during this period, down 3.8 percent year-on-year -- with the decline narrowing by 4.5 percentage points from the first half of the year.

Spending on research and development totaled 66.86 billion yuan in the first eight months of 2025 -- an increase of 3.4 percent year-on-year.

Major internet companies and related services companies refer to those with annual internet and related services revenue of at least 20 million yuan.

During the 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Quanzhou, Fujian province, experts from the WIC Think Tank Cooperation Program unveiled a series of research reports. These reports focused on key areas such as international digital economy cooperation, AI's role in advancing the Digital Silk Road, humanoid robots, and antitrust practices within the digital economy. Their strategic insights aim to support the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The China Telecom Research Institute Esurfing Think Tank unveiled a groundbreaking report titled "Digital Silk Road: A New Global Digital Economy Ecosystem Co-created and Shared by Platform Enterprises." The report conducts an in-depth analysis of four types of platform enterprises: cloud computing, e-commerce, fintech, and digital entertainment, summarizes and proposes four new development models and outlines a clear panoramic roadmap for platform enterprises on how to jointly build and share a new global digital economy ecosystem.

The China Mobile Research Institute (China Mobile Think Tank) released two reports: "Intelligent Silk Road Toward a Digital Future -- AI-Driven Digital Silk Road Enters a New Era of Development" and "Pool Strength for Collaborative AI Governance to Drive the Development of the Digital Silk Road."

The first explores AI's role in empowering economic development and assesses the foundational AI capabilities—computing power, networks, models, and data—across Belt and Road countries. It proposes exploring development pathways through joint technology R&D, infrastructure, and policy alignment.

The second report highlights the importance of building a governance consensus for the Digital Silk Road. It advocates for advancing co-governance mechanisms under the principle of "extensive consultation, joint contribution, and shared benefits" by deepening consensus, enhancing governance capacity, and promoting inclusive development.

The China Unicom Research Institute, in partnership with the China Branch of BRICS Institute of Future Networks, released a report titled "Applications and Development Prospects of Humanoid Robots." The report reviews global trends in humanoid robotics, industry structure, and market outlook. It includes in-depth analysis of real-world applications in manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, and home services, and proposes a development strategy focusing on three pillars: hardware foundations, technological integration, and scenario-based deployment.

The Institute of Cyberspace Governance at Wuhan University released a report titled "Practice and Prospects of Antitrust Law in the Global Digital Economy." This report provides a balanced assessment of current antitrust practices in the digital domain, clarifies the appropriate scope of regulation, and offers insights to strengthen routine oversight of the digital economy.

Launched during the 2024 Wuzhen Summit, the WIC Think Tank Cooperation Program brings together 60 think tanks from WIC member organizations and leading global institutions in the internet field. The program aims to build a global platform for academic exchange and dialogue through joint research, forums, publications, and collaborative initiatives, contributing expertise to the development of the internet industry and efforts to bridge the digital divide.

The organizer of the World Internet Conference, held yearly in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, has announced a global call for outstanding digital cultural heritage projects — those that utilize digital technologies to preserve and promote cultural heritage.

Announced last Friday, the endeavor aims to foster international exchanges on digital cultural heritage and share experiences.

The call is open to government departments, international organizations, cultural institutions, museums, research institutes, universities and enterprises, according to a news release on the WIC's website.

Case submissions will be categorized into cultural heritage protection, archaeology, and exhibition and utilization, it said.

The WIC, which has been held annually since 2014, will invite leading global experts in the field of digital cultural heritage to review the submitted materials to determine the final selection of cases.

With the digital wave sweeping across the globe, digitalizing cultural heritage is becoming a bridge connecting civilizations beyond borders, the organizer said.

One example of how digitalization has been used to promote cultural heritage has been the use of 3D scanning technology to replicate the intricate details and spatial essence of ancient architecture with micron-level precision.

"Blockchain technology provides a reliable foundation for authenticating and tracing the provenance of cultural relics, while artificial intelligence algorithms are becoming intelligent assistants for ancient book restoration," the release said.

These digital technologies not only break through the constraints of time and space, but also promote the inheritance of global cultural heritage in the virtual world, fostering the deep integration and shared prosperity of different countries and ethnic cultures in the digital era, the release said.

The cases selected will be included in the World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitization Case Collection and receive award certificates.

The successful applicants will also be invited to attend major conferences and events such as the WIC Wuzhen Summit.

jiangchenglong@chinadaily.com.cn

China's emphasis on accelerating the development of the digital economy and advancing the concept of "Digital China" will give the country a competitive edge in strategic emerging sectors and safeguard global security, said officials and experts.

Emphasizing that the boom of cutting-edge digital technologies has emerged as a new engine driving China's economic growth, they called for heightened efforts to push forward the construction of digital infrastructure, bolster the deeper integration of the real and digital economies, and promote technological innovation and the application of rapidly evolving artificial intelligence in a wider range of sectors.

When delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Second World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, in December 2015, President Xi Jinping said that China is implementing the "Internet Plus" action plan and advancing the building of a "Digital China".

In a congratulatory letter sent to the first Digital China Summit, which opened in April 2018 in Fuzhou, Fujian province, Xi called for fostering new driving forces through informatization, in order to promote new development and make new achievements.

He emphasized that digitalization, networking and the application of intelligent technologies, which have been greatly developed, are playing increasingly important roles in promoting social and economic development, modernizing China's governance capacity, and meeting the people's ever-growing needs for a better life.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the nation's efforts to construct a "Digital China". China's digital economy has gained strong momentum in recent years, with remarkable achievements made in fields such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, industrial software and basic software.

The added value of core industries of the digital economy accounted for about 10 percent of GDP in 2024, while the total data output reached 41.06 zettabytes, marking a robust 25 percent year-on-year increase, according to the "Digital China Development Report 2024" released by the National Data Administration.

The report said the total scale of China's computing power reached 280 EFLOPS last year. EFLOPS is a unit of the speed of computer systems and is equal to 1 quintillion floating-point operations per second. Furthermore, it said, the country had built more than 4.25 million 5G base stations by the end of December.

"To accelerate the building of a 'Digital China', it is crucial to seize the unprecedented opportunities brought about by AI," said Liu Liehong, head of the NDA, at the recently concluded 8th Digital China Summit, highlighting the significance of advancing reforms related to the market-oriented allocation of data elements and implementing the AI Plus initiative.

Noting that data serves as a new type of production factor, Liu said that more efforts are needed to increase the supply of high-quality data, accelerate the integration of data elements with AI, technological innovation and industrial development and application, and press ahead with the construction of national computing power infrastructure.

He noted that new computing power in major computing hubs will account for more than 60 percent of the country's total by the end of this year, and called for cultivating a national integrated data market, establishing standards and systems for data circulation and transaction, and strengthening international cooperation in the digital economy domain.

Luo Zhongwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Industrial Economics, said, "Innovative digital technologies represented by AI, 5G, cloud computing and big data are currently finding a wide range of applications across various industries such as manufacturing, finance and healthcare, and speeding up their integration with the real economy."

Luo said that facilitating the development of the digital economy is of vital significance for nurturing new quality productive forces, propelling the intelligent transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and consolidating economic recovery momentum, in order to drive a shift from old growth drivers to new ones amid a volatile external environment and tariff pressures from the United States.

To gain an upper hand amid increasingly fierce international competition, Luo stressed the need to double down on indigenous innovation to make breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields like raw materials, precision components and high-end equipment, and expand the industrial application scenarios of advanced technologies.

In February 2023, China unveiled a plan for the overall layout of its digital development, vowing to make important progress in the construction of a "Digital China" by 2025, with effective interconnectivity in digital infrastructure, a significantly improved digital economy and major breakthroughs in digital technological innovation. By 2035, the nation is expected to be at the global forefront of digital development.

"As a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is evolving, promoting the in-depth integration of digital technologies with the real economy is a necessary requirement for establishing a modern industrial system and a strategic choice of forging new competitive advantages on the global stage," said Pan Helin, a member of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's Expert Committee for Information and Communication Economy.

The move to develop the digital economy is conducive to enhancing the resilience of industrial and supply chains, advancing new industrialization and realizing Chinese modernization, Pan said.

He added that a bigger push is needed to reinforce the dominant position of enterprises in boosting sci-tech advancements, increase financial support for innovation-oriented tech companies, and strengthen the training of high-caliber talent.

Wu Jianping, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the emergence of state-of-the-art digital technologies has laid a solid foundation for unleashing the value of massive data elements, which underscores the significance of safeguarding data security, a prerequisite to ensuring the orderly development of the data industry.

AI seen as key

AI, which has entered a stage of explosive growth, is spearheading the development of the digital economy and is being integrated into every facet of industrial revolution and people's lives.

Robin Li, co-founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc, said that the application of AI technology is reshaping the industrial landscape and will be a transformative force that revolutionizes development over the next 40 years.

Li said the goal of the intelligent transformation of industries and society through AI is to fulfill people's needs — making technology meaningful only if it serves humanity by creating more value and contributing to society.

Zhou Hongyi, founder of Chinese internet enterprise 360 Security Group, said: "Looking ahead, the growth potential of China's economy will come from industrial upgrading driven by technological innovation, while AI represented by large language models will give birth to new production and business models in traditional fields such as manufacturing, agriculture and services, creating more social value."

Zhou said 360 Security Group will focus on digital security and AI, adding that it is important to promote the digital transformation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as they face mounting pressure from a shortage of capital, talent and technology.

Denis Depoux, global managing director of market consultancy Roland Berger, said, "China has made rapid progress in the development of AI technology, becoming one of the global leaders, and the pace will further accelerate. AI will unlock massive opportunities for our business."

Foreign companies can play a bigger role in supporting China's transformation in fields such as decarbonization and the digitalization of industrial and supply chains, he added.

The Fourth High-Quality Development Conference for Traditional Chinese Medicine was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, on April 23. The conference announced the release of the "2025 International High-Impact Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Traditional Medicine."

Supported by the China Institute of Science and Technology Information and the Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine, the project was jointly implemented by the editorial department of Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine and Wolters Kluwer, a global information services company headquartered in the Netherlands. The initiative aims to promote the inheritance, innovation, and global sharing of modernized TCM research.

The selection process evaluated studies across five dimensions: journal impact, article impact, author influence, public influence, and research impact. Through nominations, supplementary entries and public voting, a high-impact research database was created. After online voting, reviews by nearly 100 peer experts, and final approval by industry leaders, 50 studies were selected.

The selected studies cover seven fields, including acupuncture research, clinical research, and medicinal resource studies. Among them, 33 were completed independently by Chinese institutions, 13 were collaborative efforts involving 27 institutions from nine countries, and four studies were conducted by foreign institutions in the United States and Iran.

Prominent experts including Zhang Boli, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a TCM expert, attended the release ceremony. The announcement emphasized the role of these studies in advancing global collaboration and scientific progress in traditional medicine.

The World Internet Conference (WIC) hosted the "Journey into the China Unicom Global · WIC Member Day" event in Hong Kong on April 15. Over 30 representatives from embassies in China, government department, industry associations, enterprises, universities and media outlets participated in on-site visits to explore innovative practices in digital technology-driven international cyberspace cooperation.

Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the WIC, emphasized in his address that digital technologies, represented by artificial intelligence, are evolving rapidly, profoundly transforming human production and lifestyles while also bringing new challenges to global cyberspace governance. Ren highlighted the WIC's ongoing efforts to compile and showcase the Practice Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace (Practice Cases), which pool global wisdom and promote practical solutions to seize digital opportunities and address challenges. He noted that the WIC will strengthen its role as a global Internet platform for extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, carrying out more diverse projects with all stakeholders to advance AI-digital integration, share dividends, address security challenges, and foster collaborative development.

China Unicom Global was recognized in both 2023 and 2024 for its Practice Cases entries, including "Computing and Network Convergence Connecting the World—Empower the Innovative Development of the Global Digital Economy" and "Pioneering Technology, Linking the World: Big Data and AI's New Role in Scam Prevention."

These projects were unveiled at the WIC Wuzhen Summit, where China Unicom Global shared its practices in international cyberspace cooperation with global stakeholders.

Qiu Tao, executive vice-president and chief network security officer of the China Unicom Global, said in his welcome remarks that, in today's booming digital economy, the only way to cope with the complex and changing challenges and jointly create a better future in the digital era is to work together and collaborate in innovation. China Unicom Global is willing to work with all parties to promote global digital transformation and sustainable development, and to Jointly Build a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace.

During the event, attendees toured the submarine and terrestrial cable landing stations, server rooms of the data center, Network/Security Operations Centers (NOC/SOC), and CityUHK-ChinaUnicom Joint Laboratory for Intelligent Scam Prevention, among other facilities.

Guests gained an in-depth understanding of China Unicom Global's successful experience in empowering the digital and intelligent development of various industries through its network and intelligent computing resources, as well as its pioneering applications of big data and AI technologies in supporting global anti-scam governance.

Attendees agreed that the event provided beneficial opportunities for exchange and pledged to collaborate on exploring more innovations in AI and the digital era, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Eight participating institutions under the World Internet Conference (WIC) Think Tank Cooperation Program released a series of reports at the three sub-forums of the WIC Asia-Pacific Summit held in Hong Kong on April 15.

At the sub-forum on Large Artificial Intelligence Models, China Telecom Research Institute Esurfing Think Tank released a report titled The Evolution of the New Unmanned Economy in the Age of LLM as Foundational Infrastructure. The report introduces the concept of the "New Unmanned Economy" and outlines its development stages from L0 to L5, along with potential application scenarios.

The Research Institute of China Unicom presented Trend Analysis of Artificial Intelligence in the Future-Application Practices and Prospects of Large Language Model in China's Artificial Intelligence Industry, which summarizes the current situation and development trends of the artificial intelligence large language model (LLM) in terms of policies and regulations, technological innovation, the industrial eco-system and industrial applications.

China Mobile Think Tank (CMTT) unveiled a report titled Research Report on AI-Empowered Integrated Development of Real and Digital Economies. The report analyzes the mechanisms through which AI technology empowers the integration of real and digital economies and presents future prospects focusing on strengthening technological innovation, consolidating data infrastructure, enhancing governance capabilities, and jointly building application ecosystems.

Yinxiang Biji Research Institute introduced Empowering Global Knowledge Workers: AI, Productivity Tools, and the New Ways of Work, which examines AI's profound impact on knowledge workers' productivity, creativity and work models and proposes strategic recommendations to enhance their adaptability and continuous growth in the AI era.

These four industry-focused reports provide practical insights into the transformative impact of AI across sectors.

At the sub-forum on Digital Finance, Renmin University of China and China Everbright Bank released a report titled Research Report on Commercial Banks' Data Element-Based Financial Products and Services. This report elaborates on the pathways and practical explorations of commercial banks' participation in the data element market, and puts forward policy suggestions on improving the system and innovating business models.

Fudan University's Institute of International Studies published FinTech Empowering the Belt and Road Initiative: A Case Study of Southeast Asia. This report provides a comprehensive overview of financial technology (FinTech) development in countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — particularly in Southeast Asia — examining market trends, major players and investment strategies. More importantly, it analyzes the role of FinTech in facilitating the five key pillars of Belt and Road cooperation: policy coordination, infrastructure connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration, and people-to-people bonds.

The sub-forum on Digital Government and Smart Life focused on urban development and improving residents' quality of life.

At the forum, the Macao Association for Internet Research released a report titled Educational Transformation in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Integrating Generative AI and Human Intelligence to Enhance Educational Quality. The report explores the transformative impact of generative AI on the education sector and calls for the establishment of an educational ecosystem that synergizes "AI and human intelligence," optimizing the inclusivity of technology to empower inclusive innovation, and promoting educational equity and sustainable development.

The BEKE BrainLink published Innovative Applications of AI in the Residential Sector, which summarizes the current applications, challenges, and trends of AI in areas such as construction sites, smart home and intelligent space, and intelligent property management and communities, offering smart solutions for advancing AI in the residential sector.

Launched during the 2024 WIC Wuzhen Summit, the WIC Think Tank Cooperation Program brings together 60 leading think tanks from WIC member organizations and top global research institutions in the internet sector. The program will continue to serve as a collaborative platform for academic exchange and dialogue, contributing ideas and solutions to advance the digital economy and bridge the digital divide.

Full reports are now available on the official World Internet Conference website.

BEIJING -- The number of internet users in China hit 1.1 billion by December 2024, up 16 million from the previous year, according to an industrial report on the country's internet development released on Friday.

This milestone highlights the vast potential of China's digital economy and its key role in driving technological innovation.

The report by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) revealed that internet penetration in China reached 78.6 percent in 2024, 30 years after the country was fully connected to the global internet.

China now boasts the world's largest internet infrastructure, equipped with advanced technologies, fueling the rapid growth of its digital economy.

By the end of last year, the number of online payment users in China had surpassed 1 billion, while 974 million Chinese people had engaged in online shopping, an increase of 59.5 million people from the end of 2023, according to the report.

"China continues to lead the world in both online retail sales and mobile payment penetration," the report stated.

Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on Friday showed that in 2024, the country's total online retail sales reached 15.52 trillion yuan (about 2.15 trillion U.S. dollars), a 7.2 percent increase from the previous year. In particular, online retail sales of physical goods rose 6.5 percent year on year to 13.08 trillion yuan, accounting for 26.8 percent of the total retail sales of consumer goods.

The steady development of China's online retail sector is based on the rapid expansion of 5G and broadband coverage nationwide, spanning both urban and rural areas. As of November 2024, China had built a total of 4.19 million 5G base stations, with the number of gigabit broadband users reaching 209 million.

Stable internet connectivity has helped foster online shopping among a wider range of internet users, including the elderly and rural residents. According to CNNIC, nearly 70 percent of netizens aged 60 and above and over 76 percent of rural internet users shop online.

Short video and live stream platforms have become a major medium for online shopping, especially for rural netizens. Data from the center shows that approximately 71 percent of short video and live-stream viewers have made purchases after watching, with more than half of users regularly tuning in to live-stream sales.

According to Chen Jing, an analyst at CNNIC, live-streaming and short videos are increasingly playing a crucial role in shaping digital consumption decisions in China, creating an online shopping pathway that moves from sparking interest to making purchases and sharing experiences.

Emerging from China's booming short video industry, micro-dramas -- typically no longer than a few minutes but with engaging plots -- have become another thriving sector of the digital economy.

As of December 2024, the audience base of micro-dramas in China reached 662 million, accounting for nearly 60 percent of the total internet users, according to the data.

The micro-drama industry directly created and indirectly generated around 647,000 job opportunities last year, and it is expected that the market for micro-dramas could surpass the total box office revenue on the Chinese mainland for the first time in 2024, according to the China Netcasting Services Association.

Online tourism services, a vital component of China's rapidly recovering tourism market, have also experienced significant growth, driven by the accelerated integration of the tourism industry with the digital economy.

As of December 2024, the number of users booking travel online reached 548 million, an increase of 39.35 million from a year ago, representing 49.5 percent of the total internet user base, as shown in the report.

Trip.com Group, China's online travel service giant, reported a net revenue of 15.9 billion yuan for the third quarter of 2024, a 16 percent increase from the same period in 2023.

The company's executive chairman, James Liang, expressed confidence in the "AI-driven technological revolution" shaping the future of the global travel industry.

AI technology, widely applied in online marketing, smart diagnostics, customer service and various other fields, has been driving profound changes in industrial manufacturing and economic growth in China, the report noted.

It revealed that at least 331 million people, or 23.5 percent of China's population, were aware of generative AI products, while 249 million people reported having used them, mainly for answering questions and office assistance.

China is home to over 4,500 AI-related companies, with the core industry valued at nearly 600 billion yuan, according to Zhang Xiao, deputy director of CNNIC.