Foreign visitors interact with a humanoid robot during the 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing on July 2. CHEN XIAOGEN/FOR CHINA DAILY
China’s digital economy is becoming a more visible driver of high-quality growth, moving beyond headline figures to play a deeper role in industrial upgrading, urban governance, public services and international exchanges.
“Developing the digital economy is a strategic choice to seize the opportunities brought by a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation,” said Wang Jingtao, deputy director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing on July 2.
Data from the National Data Administration showed that the added value of China’s digital economy reached 49 trillion yuan ($7.22 trillion) in 2025, accounting for about 35 percent of its GDP. Notably, the added value of core digital economy industries is expected to exceed 14.7 trillion yuan, making up more than 10.5 percent of GDP.
According to classifications by the National Bureau of Statistics, China’s digital economy covers five broad categories: digital product manufacturing, digital product services, digital technology applications, data factor-driven industries, and industries supported by digital efficiency improvements.
China’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) makes it clear that the country will comprehensively advance the empowerment of the real economy through digital technologies, Wang added.
To deepen the integration of the digital and real economies, the senior official called for stronger efforts in key technologies and digital infrastructure, wider application of the “AI Plus” initiative across sectors, improved governance of generative AI and data security, and deeper international cooperation, including better digital services for foreigners in China.
Test cases
A key message from this year’s conference was that digital development is increasingly being tested in the daily operation of cities, which have become the most concentrated, concrete and observable carriers of the digital economy.
According to the 2026 Global Digital Economy Cities Report released during the conference, five cities worldwide, including Beijing, Tokyo, Singapore, New York and London are listed as leading cities in digital factors, citing their performance in digital infrastructure, digital industry leadership, innovation capacity, digital governance, low-carbon development and urban resilience, global connectivity, as well as resident experience and inclusiveness.
Beijing offers a case for how digital tools are entering public life. By the end of last year, the city had built 119 internet hospitals, supporting services including online appointment registration, prescription circulation and online medical insurance payments. In the transportation sector, through connected traffic signal control, the average non-stop pass rate within Beijing’s Fifth Ring Road reached 76.7 percent. In addition, construction of sensing systems for underground power, gas and heating pipelines has also been largely completed, enabling digital operation and management.
“Digital technologies should not only support industrial development and urban governance, but also become tangible for residents, usable for businesses and accessible to society,” the report stressed.
In healthcare, Beijing has built a unified cloud platform for medical imaging, breaking down barriers to image sharing among medical institutions above the secondary level. The platform has changed the traditional practice of patients carrying printed films between hospitals. Last year alone, it helped save more than 150 million yuan in film printing costs.
“Through high-standard efforts to build a comprehensive pilot zone for data factors and active early trials, Beijing has formed a batch of replicable and scalable ‘Beijing experience’ for global counterparts,” said Liu Liehong, head of the National Data Administration.
Tanks to chinadaily.com.cn
Please visit:
Our Sponsor