By the end of June 2015, China had 668 million Internet users, accounting for 48.8 percent of its population. (File photo/gmw.cn)
It has taken 21 years for China to transform itself into a network superpower since it first connected to the Internet in 1994: By the end of June 2015, China had 668 million Internet users, accounting for 48.8 percent of its population; four Chinese Internet companies had made it to the list of top ten Internet companies in the world; China had built the world's largest 4G network which has become one of the international network standards. Now the Internet has become an important driving force for China's economy. The "Chinese model" of Internet industry attracts worldwide attention.[Special coverage]
New business models, including online shopping, e-commerce, and O2O operations, develop rapidly and vigorously and consumers can enjoy door-to-door services from car washing to hairdressing, and food delivery, which changed people's habits of consumption and living.
Mobile Internet has become people's daily necessity. By the end of June 2015, China had 276 million users making payment by mobile phone. New consumer demands have been inspired, and new consumption modes will be created, which will benefit the country's economy.
When consumption becomes hot, related industries will prosper, too, presenting an important force promoting employment and adjusting the economic structure. The express delivery industry in China grew over 50 percent every year during the past four year, and about 70 percent of the growth derived from e-commerce, which absorbed millions of employees.
The huge transformational power of the Internet also affected reconstitution of the organizational system of manufacturing. The combination of Internet, computational intelligence and flexible manufacturing could realize customization of products; The Internet of Things could realize "unmanned workshops" by remote control. Transforming the traditional production mode by information technologies is an important way to transform the manufacturing industry.
China is actively promoting network construction in order to bring benefits to its 1.3 billion people. "Made in China 2025" issued by the State Council said China will manage to transform and upgrade manufacturing through accelerating the in-depth integration of new-generation information technologies and the manufacturing industry, with a focus on breakthroughs in intelligent manufacturing. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the popularization rate of digitally designed tools has surpassed 85 percent in the fields of aerospace, vehicle and rail transit, and numerical control of key processes has surpassed 65 percent in steel, petroleum and chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.
In order to further promote in-depth integration of the Internet and traditional industries, the State Council unveiled an "Internet-Plus" action plan in July, clearly putting forward eleven key campaigns, including the "Internet Plus" innovation projects. More than 10 provinces launched specific action plans and the policy support system for "Internet Plus" is taking shape.
In the eyes of president of the Internet Society of China, Wu Hequan, in the future, the Internet will expand to more industrial fields step by step. Productivity will be improved by online penetration at such links as production, transaction, and financing , creating higher-value industry forms.
The 13th Five-Year Plan said clearly that the country will implement an Internet-based nation-building strategy, and speed up the building of ubiquitous, fast, mobile, and safe new-generation information infrastructures; expand online economic space; implement an "Internet plus" action plan, develop the Internet of Things, promote sharing economy, integrate the Internet with traditional sectors of the economy; and implement a national big-data strategy to promote opening and sharing of data resources.
Ning Jiajun, director of the Experts Committee of the State Information Center, said China's economy is at a stage of "new normal". Implementing an Internet-based nationa-building strategy could integrate the Internet with traditional sectors of the economy, which will benefit more people of the country and provide new energy for China's economic transformation and upgrading.
