China held a ceremony for the National Engineer Awards, honoring 81 individuals and 50 teams for outstanding contributions to the field of engineering technology. Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged high-level sci-tech self-reliance to serve high-quality development in instructions delivered during the ceremony of the National Engineer Awards. Xi underscored the significant role that engineers play in promoting engineering science and technology for the benefit of mankind and the creation of the future. It was the first time for China to confer such awards, the nation’s highest honor in the field of engineering.
Tao Qing, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), said during a press conference that China has made remarkable progress in the computing power sector, as the country ranked second globally in terms of the scale of computing power. Tao added that China's innovation capability in cloud computing and big data has also ranked in the top tier globally. “China now has over 4,400 domestic AI enterprises, and developed world-leading system integration capability in multiple industries such as steel, petrochemical and lithium batteries,” Tao noted. The development of computing power and AI technology demonstrated that China has the ability to process big data on a large scale or conduct complex computing, which will assist the development of scientific research, engineering design and financial analysis, Wang Peng, Associate Researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Officials from MIIT also attributed China's growing industrial digitalization to progress in the development of 5G. At the end of 2023, the number of 5G base stations across the country reached 3.377 million, further ensuring the operation of the nation's network infrastructure. The number of 5G mobile phone users has reached 805 million nationwide, and 5G directly driven economic output is expected to hit CNY1.86 trillion in 2023, up 29% from the level in 2022, Zhao Zhiguo, Chief Engineer at MIIT, told the press conference.
In another address, President Xi laid out plans for China to become a “financial superpower”. It should be based on a strong economic foundation, but will be different from Western models, emphasizing leadership by the Communist Party and financing support for the real economy. He also stressed fundamentals, saying a strong currency, central bank, and financial institutions both domestic and international are key to superpower status, as well as strong supervision and talent. He also reiterated the need for the financial sector to prioritize the prevention and defusing of risks, especially systemic risks, saying that financial regulatory authorities and industry regulators must clarify responsibilities and enhance cooperation.
