Promote the high-quality development of the digital economy

Original title: Promote the high-quality development of the digital economy

The digital economy will continue to play an important role as an engine for the mainland's high-quality development

With the in-depth development of a new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, digital technology continues to develop and iterate, and the digital economy has maintained a rapid growth trend in the mainland for a long time, and its role in driving the economy has become increasingly prominent. According to the preliminary accounting results released by the National Bureau of Statistics, the added value of the information transmission, software and information technology service industries, which are the foundation of the development of the digital economy, will continue to maintain rapid growth in 2023, with a growth rate of 11.9%. Online retail sales, another digital economy data closely related to residents' lives, also increased by 11.0% over the previous year. It is foreseeable that the total scale of the mainland's digital economy will maintain a rapid growth trend in 2024, and will continue to become an important force in cultivating new quality productivity and promoting high-quality development.

The value of data elements will be further activated and released. With the promulgation and implementation of policy documents such as the "Overall Layout Plan for the Construction of Digital China" and the "Opinions on Building a Data Basic System to Better Play the Role of Data Elements", the circulation and trading system of data elements in mainland China has been increasingly improved, and the value of data elements has been continuously activated and released. With the continuous improvement of the data infrastructure system, the mainland data element market will be more active in 2024, data products will be more abundant, and the value of data elements will be more fully released.

Industrial digitalization will be promoted in depth. In recent years, the enabling role of digital technologies such as the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence has become increasingly obvious, and the exploration of industrial digitalization has become richer and more diverse. Governments at all levels have strengthened policy support for the new generation of digital technology and industrial Internet platforms, and increased support for industrial digitalization. With the popularization and application of low-cost digital technologies and the increasingly perfect talent training system for compound digital technologies, the cost of digital transformation of traditional enterprises is constantly decreasing, and industrial digitalization will continue to advance in depth in the future.

The development of the mainland's digital economy has established new advantages

From a policy perspective, the policy framework for the development of the mainland's digital economy is becoming more and more complete. In 2023, in order to further strengthen, optimize and expand the mainland's digital economy, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council and relevant ministries and commissions have formulated a series of policies. These policies include not only the strategic planning for the overall development of the digital economy, but also the specific policies at the micro level, covering all major links of the digital economy, such as data elements, digital industrialization, industrial digitization, and digital governance. In particular, after the establishment of the National Data Bureau, it has coordinated and promoted the construction of data infrastructure systems, coordinated the integration, sharing, development and utilization of data resources, and coordinated the planning and construction of digital China, digital economy, and digital society, marking the increasingly perfect top-level design for the development of the mainland's digital economy.

From a technical point of view, the autonomy and controllability of key digital technologies are gradually being realized. In 2020, some scholars summarized 35 "bottleneck" technologies faced by the mainland, of which 10 are directly related to the digital economy, including hardware technologies such as lithography machines and chips, as well as software technologies such as operating systems and core industrial software. After hard work, the mainland has made breakthroughs in at least 21 key technologies, including photoresists, mobile phone RF device manufacturing and other digital technologies.

From the perspective of integration, the integration of digital technology and the real economy has entered a new stage of deepening development. In 2023, a new generation of artificial intelligence (AI) technology will be born, and the impact of digital technology on the real economy is entering a critical moment. The mainland has seized the new round of technological opportunities, accelerated the development of artificial intelligence, and accelerated the deep integration of the digital economy and the real economy. Up to now, more than 40 AI large-scale model products have passed the filing, covering many application scenarios such as e-commerce, office, cloud services, and tourism, empowering thousands of industries. Traditional industries are also making deep use of digital technology, and the development of digital and intelligent transformation is accelerating. According to statistics, as of December 2023, the mainland has cultivated 421 national-level intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, more than 10,000 provincial-level digital workshops and smart factories, and has 62 "lighthouse factories" representing the highest level of global intelligent manufacturing and digitalization, ranking first in the world.

We will continue to optimize the environment for the development of the mainland's digital economy

It is necessary to further optimize the policy environment and give full play to the role of leading enterprises in the digital economy. Strengthen overall planning and coordination, improve laws, regulations, and rules and systems for the digital economy, promote the construction of data infrastructure systems, improve the government's digital governance capabilities, strengthen the supply of rules and systems, and create a stable, transparent, and predictable institutional environment. We will further optimize the business environment and create a good atmosphere for development, attach importance to giving play to the role of leading enterprises in the digital economy and give full play to their leading role, so as to provide reference experience for Chinese digital economy enterprises to develop in the world, and strengthen the guidance of public opinion to protect the legitimate rights and interests of entrepreneurs.

It is necessary to fight a tough battle of technology and realize the independence and controllability of key digital technologies. As the digital economy has become a key force in reorganizing global factor resources, reshaping the global economic structure, and changing the global competition pattern, strategic behaviors between countries continue to extend to the field of digital technology, and the politicization of digital technology competition is becoming increasingly serious. Therefore, we need to establish a bottom-line thinking, consolidate the technological foundation for the development of the digital economy, and avoid the adverse impact of the politicization of scientific and technological competition on the mainland as much as possible. It is necessary to give full play to the leading role of the government, give full play to the advantages of the new national system, do a good job in tackling key core technologies, realize the independence and controllability of key technologies, and accelerate the realization of high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and self-reliance. It is necessary to further give full play to the role of enterprises as the main body of innovation, carry out technological innovation for the market and application scenarios, improve innovation efficiency, and realize the industrial application of innovation achievements. It is necessary to strengthen forward-looking planning and deployment, attach great importance to original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation, increase fiscal, financial and other policy support, and drive social funds to help the development of original and disruptive scientific and technological innovation enterprises.

It is necessary to accelerate the integration of data and reality, and further improve the scenario-based and characteristic of integration. Realizing the deep integration of digital technology and the real economy is an important guarantee for giving full play to the role of the engine of the digital economy. At the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the use of digital technology to discover and create new application scenarios and expand the content and boundaries of digital and real integration. All regions should find application scenarios based on their own resource endowment advantages, explore the integration model of data and reality suitable for the local area, cultivate and expand characteristic industries and advantageous industries, and avoid waste caused by homogeneous competition.

It is necessary to carry out extensive international cooperation and enhance the mainland's voice in global digital governance. Coordinate and plan international cooperation in the digital field, and establish a system of international exchanges and cooperation in the digital field with multi-level coordination, multi-platform support, and multi-subject participation. Actively participate in digital cooperation platforms under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G20, APEC, BRICS, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and expand the "circle of friends" for international cooperation in the digital economy. Actively participate in the discussion of global digital governance rules and new mechanisms for international governance of the digital economy, make China's voice heard, put forward China's solutions, and contribute China's wisdom in the formulation of relevant standards and rules for the digital economy, so as to enhance the mainland's voice in global digital governance and safeguard the mainland's legitimate rights and interests.

(Shi Yupeng, the author is a special researcher at the United Front Think Tank of the Central Institute of Socialism and a professor at the School of Economics, Central University of Finance and Economics)

Source: People's Political Consultative Conference Daily