Industrial internet efforts gaining traction in China

China is stepping up its efforts to develop the industrial internet to foster new growth drivers and promote high-quality economic development, officials from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Tuesday.

"The industrial internet, which serves as a key growth engine for the digital economy, will help give new impetus to industrial transformation and upgrading, foster smart industrial economy and further integrate the new generation of information technology with real economy," said Wang Xinzhe, chief economist with the ministry.

The industrial internet, a new type of manufacturing automation that combines advanced machines, internet-connected sensors and big data analysis, is expected to boost productivity and reduce costs in industrial production.