2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

The 2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opened in Shenyang City of northeast China's Liaoning Province on Thursday, unveiling the latest achievements in China's 5G, big data and other digital areas.

The conference, scheduled to conclude on Saturday, focuses on digital transformation. It has brought together well-known exports, scholars and representatives of leading enterprises from both China and abroad to explore the trend in industrial internet innovation.

The conference revealed that the number of 5G plus Industrial Internet projects in China has exceeded 14,000, with industrial internet integration across all 49 major national economic categories, achieving full coverage.

Functions and structures of China's industrial Internet have both kept improving, and the value of core sectors in the area has exceeded 1.35 trillion yuan (about 190 billion U.S. dollars).

Over 510 billion unique identifiers have been registered in the industrial internet, covering nearly 450,000 companies, facilitating their operations and connectivity.

Approximately 340 industrial internet platforms, spanning comprehensive, specialized and niche services, are driving the sector forward. The development of the National Industrial Internet Big Data Center is picking up pace, amassing over 1.4 billion data entries, according to data released at the conference.

The National Equipment Manufacturing Digital Supply Chain Platform was also launched at the conference.

To date, the platform has gathered nearly 370,000 companies and 2.01 million active engineers, creating the nation's largest digital inventory of industrial products, which includes over 210 million digital items spanning key sectors such as machine tools, medical equipment and industrial robots.

"The conference this comprises 22 special forums, events and exchange activities with the focus on cutting-edge technologies and emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology. It is more market-oriented, professional and international. It highlights the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries with a new generation of information technology, aimed at achieving industrial upgrading through a dual promotion of technological innovation and industrial development," said Liu Wenqing, deputy director of the China Industrial Internet Research Institute, in an interview with China Central Television on the sidelines of the conference.

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

More users of new energy vehicles (NEVs) are hitting the road during this year’s National Day holiday, as an expanded public charging network in China is significantly alleviating range anxiety for drivers.

Since Tuesday, the first day of the week-long holiday, expressways in east China's Jiangsu Province have seen daily traffic exceed 150,000 vehicles, with nearly 10 percent being NEVs. In Taizhou City, a service area reported all 12 charging piles occupied around 14:00 on Wednesday.

"The number of charging piles has doubled, and they are all fast chargers. What's even more reassuring is that the staff are always here to serve us, which really eases my range anxiety," said Meng Haoyang, a NEV driver.

Similar scenes were observed in Anhui Province, where electric vehicles are arriving for charging every ten minutes at a service area equipped with 16 functioning charging piles available around-the-clock.

"It is quite convenient to charge our vehicles here since there are staff providing full service, which reduces our waiting time," said Jiang Hao, another NEV driver.

A famous tourist attraction, the Shimen Village in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province has drawn an increasing number of visitors going on holiday via electric vehicles, thanks to the construction of a new EV charging station.

"It is very convenient. The car is parked outside being charged while we're enjoying our tour around the village. Things can be done simultaneously without delay," said a tourist Wan Qian.

Data from the State Grid's smart vehicle networking platform showed EV charging volume at expressway stations reached a record 15.58 million kilowatt-hours during the first two days of the holiday, up 56 percent from the same period last year.

Local authorities are actively fostering a user-friendly environment to accommodate the surge in EV traffic.

In Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, three mobile charging stations have been added to a service area on the busy Shenyang-Haikou Expressway to resolve drivers' range anxiety and offer more flexible charging options.

"We have prepared mobile charging piles in service areas with large traffic and charging demand for the holiday, guiding drivers to charge in an orderly and fast manner," said Zhu Zhenyuan, a staff member from the State Grid Pinghu Power Supply Company.

The coverage of charging stations has been further expanded across the country.

In Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, charging facilities are available in all service areas and tourist attractions.

In Xiaogan, Hubei Province, 600 villages and rural scenic spots have been equipped with charging stations during this holiday, greatly facilitating tourist trips and family visits for EVs owners.

Expanded charging network boosts NEV use during National Day holiday