China vowed to increase support for 6G innovations and promote 6G international standardization in a digital economy development plan for 2021-25, reiterating the country's ambition of maintaining its edge in the ultrafast 6G era, despite challenges and hurdles. According to the roadmap, which was launched by the Chinese government, the added value of the core industries of the digital economy will account for 10% of GDP by 2025, and the digital transformation of the industry will reach a new level. The 10% objective is a practical goal, considering China's current speed of digital development, and the country should have no difficulty attaining the set goal, Xiang Ligang, an independent tech analyst, told the Global Times.
China's digital economy has made marked progress, with various digital technologies playing a growing role in overcoming the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. China had the world's second-largest digital economy with a scale of USD5.4 trillion in 2020, trailing the U.S. with its USD13.6 trillion digital economy, according to a white paper on the global digital economy unveiled by the China Academy of Information and Communication Technology in August 2021. “A large part of the incremental added value should come from the conversion of traditional industries into digital ones with the help of advanced technologies, such as new-energy vehicles (NEVs) and intelligent ports,” Xiang said.
“The world is likely to agree on 6G standards around 2028, and from 2020-2025, China is likely to focus work on proposing 6G standards as well as research of relevant technologies,” Xiang said. “The country will not lag in 6G development at any stage, whether in technical research or infrastructure construction.” A recent report released by the China Internet Network Information Center showed that China has become a major source for patent applications in the field of 6G innovations. The push of 6G technology also includes the rollout of a complicated network of satellites and the construction of a national integrated system of big data centers, the Global Times reports.
