China accelerates digital transformation of industries by scaling up 5G, AI applications

China is accelerating the rollout of an upgraded "5G plus industrial internet," with plans to further integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into manufacturing, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The initiative builds on the rapid progress made during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), in which industrial internet applications have expanded across all 41 major industrial sectors and targets for 5G-enabled smart factories have been fully achieved. It is also in line with the country's push to build a modernized industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone.

MIIT said it will launch a new round of pilot cities for integrated 5G plus industrial internet applications and advance early-stage research on combining 6G with industrial use cases.

China has already established an independent and secure industrial internet identification system and built more than 300 platforms with national influence, connecting over 100 million industrial devices.

More than 20,000 "5G plus industrial internet" projects are now under construction nationwide, MIIT data showed, marking the transition from pilot-stage exploration to large-scale deployment. In Quanzhou, Fujian Province, a "lights-out" smart factory operated by a leading ceramics bathroom products manufacturer has adopted 5G-enabled machine-vision systems to replace manual inspection.

In this factory, which functions in the dark with minimal human intervention onsite, the 5G smart systems work collaboratively with glazing robots, completing uniform spraying in just 30 seconds. Quality checks are also automated using 5G connectivity and AI-powered data collection.

"Powered by the 5G network, all real-time inspection data on site is transmitted directly to our system, and digital quality checks now cover more than 90 percent of the process," said Yang Zhiyang, n an engineer at the factory.

In Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, environmental equipment maker Zhejiang Feida Environmental Science and Technology Co., Ltd. has integrated smart sensing, data-driven decision-making and IoT-enabled coordination with 5G networks, allowing workers to complete the entire process from raw materials to packaging through digital command.

"By deeply integrating 5G-enabled industrial internet with technologies such as intelligent sensing, data-driven decision-making and IoT (Internet of Things)-based coordinated control, our products have become smarter. This reduces energy and material consumption in environmental treatment and significantly improves processing capacity and efficiency," said Yu Liyuan, an assistant to the general manager of the company.

In Lushui, Yunnan Province, a "5G plus AI" production line has transformed the processing of specialty coffee beans. The digital system covers sorting, roasting, packaging and storage, addressing longstanding issues of low efficiency and unstable quality.

"At the processing stage, we use a '5G plus AI' system that relies on machine vision and AI algorithms to identify the color, size and defects of coffee beans in real time. The sorting accuracy reaches 99.8 percent, and the rate of deep processing has jumped from 35 percent to 80 percent," said Ou Wenling, director for brand development and promotion at Lushui's market supervision and administration authority.

MIIT data shows that China's top 100 smart factories powered by 5G have, on average, increased production capacity by 25 percent, improved product quality by 21 percent and cut operating costs by 19 percent.

China accelerates digital transformation of industries by scaling up 5G, AI applications

At least 14 people were killed in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours as homes collapsed and tents sheltering displaced families were flooded during a powerful winter storm, Gaza's Civil Defense said on Friday.

The fatalities included three children who died from hypothermia, while others were found under the rubble of homes destroyed by heavy rain and strong winds, particularly in Gaza City and northern areas of the enclave, the Civil Defense said.

From Wednesday evening through Friday, the Gaza Strip has been battered by heavy storms and cold weather, leaving the displaced families facing harsh and unsafe conditions. Fragile tents and makeshift shelters, where at least 1.5 million Palestinians are living, offer no real protection from the storms.

Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman of the Palestinian Civil Defense said on Friday that the severe weather has intensified the humanitarian emergency, with the death toll standing at 13 at the time of his statement.

"The weather system affecting Gaza is extremely severe. We are talking about house collapses and the complete destruction of more than a dozen buildings. Dozens of other buildings have partially collapsed, which is why we are reporting 13 victims. More than 90 percent of citizens' tents in Gaza have been completely flooded. In some areas, water levels have risen to more than one meter," he said.

Hiba Al-Yazji, a displaced Palestinian, recalled how a sudden massive influx of water inundated her tent during the night.

"We were flooded. It was like a massive surge of water. I stood in our tent at night with my daughter, and it felt like a pool, with water flowing in from all sides. Since Wednesday, I haven't slept at all, I swear to that. We spread our mattresses out to dry, and now it's going to rain again. Everything in my kitchen has fallen apart," she said.

Other displaced Palestinians have faced similar hardships amid the winds and downpours.

"We have been suffering since the weather system began. I haven't slept for three days. Whenever the rain intensifies, we keep moving inside the shelter. Last night, the plastic roof collapsed on us because of the heavy rain. We spent the night pushing water out, afraid it would flood our tent. My little daughter couldn't sleep at all last night because of the cold," said Dina Khattab.

At least 14 killed as winter storms batter Gaza: civil defense