14 | Friday, April 23, 2021 CHINA DAILY BUSINESS PATHWAYS TO PROGRESS Guizhou big data expo to spur China’s digital era

By CHENG YU in Beijing and YANG JUN in Guiyang

The four­day China Interna­ tional Big Data Industry Expo 2021 to be held in Guiyang, Gui­ zhou province, from May 26 will underscore the potential of the emerging field to help develop the digital economy and bolster dual­ circulation — the country’s new development paradigm — govern­ ment officials said on Thursday. The annual event will be held both online and offline this year and showcase cutting­edge big data technologies. Chen Yan, mayor of Guiyang, said this year’s expo is expected to attract more than 200 enter­ prises and institutions from var­ ious countries and regions, including global corporate icons and domestic giants. An electric train runs on BYD’s Cloud Rail, a straddle­type monorail, at the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in February. ZHU HONGBO / FOR CHINA DAILY All of them will share their views and display their latest products, Chen said. “Not only has the expo created opportunities for the development of big data in Guizhou province but contribut­ Highways bring money, development ed Chinese wisdom and solutions to global big data industry.” The event is part of larger efforts being made in response Greater Bay Area makes major gains to the Chinese top leadership’s call for innovative development over long term from infrastructure thrust in Guizhou province, implement Emerging businesses the new development philoso­ By QIU QUANLIN with import and export volume have played a phy, and deepen the dual­circu­ in Shenzhen, Guangdong reaching 55.31 billion yuan ($8.51 lation paradigm, Chen said. [email protected] billion) last year, according to local significant role in “Accelerated steps will be made government data. driving the economic to develop big data to seize the new Su Xiuyi bought a sewing Humen’s GDP increased from strategic opportunities. Big data machine from Taiping Handbags 74.66 million yuan in 1978 to 64.5 development of advancement will offer strong Factory when the first export­ori­ billion yuan in 2020, according to Shenzhen.” impetus to the country’s digital ented processing factory in China the local government. transformation and development. closed its doors in 1996. “Rapid development of express­ Zhang Lei, vice­general manag­ “The expo will demonstrate “The machine was then donated ways in the Pearl River Delta region er of Shenzhen New Industries the latest technology trends, and to an exhibition hall, which was has helped attract foreign invest­ Biomedical Engineering Co Ltd pioneering research and devel­ built in 2019 to mark the marvelous ment,” said Huang Liangren, direct­ opment results. It will also offer development of the factory since or of the Taiping Handbags Factory year, according to the Shenzhen­ a chance for consumers and the reform and opening­up policy,” Exhibition Hall. Zhongshan Link Administration industry participants to observe Su said. Citing the Guangzhou­Shenzhen Center. and experience new applica­ Su, 72, worked on an assembly Expressway, which connects The Shenzhen­Zhongshan Link tions and business models, as line at the factory, which was estab­ Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen connects the city clusters of Shen­ well as to promote international lished by a Hong Kong company in and Hong Kong in the delta, Huang zhen, Dongguan and Huizhou in the exchanges and cooperation.” 1978 in Humen township, Dong­ said the highly efficient transporta­ eastern part of the PRD region with guan, Guangdong province. tion network will further push local the prosperous cities of Guangzhou, “Back in the 1980s, many female industrial upgrades. Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Jiang­ $5.6 workers like me were eager to work Along the Guangzhou­Shenzhen men and Zhaoqing to the west, help­ billion in the factory, which provided very route, a number of emerging indus­ ing strengthen connectivity in the fixed­asset investment competitive pay,” she said. tries have been rapidly developed in GBA. planned by Guizhou in Taiping Handbags Factory, the Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenz­ “The link will play an important Guian New Area for data first company to start manufactur­ hen over the past decades, accord­ role in expanding cooperation and centers and servers by 2025 ing processed goods on the Chi­ ing to Huang. said the company has realized an growth as there will be an intercity exchanges among cities in the GBA nese mainland and export them to BYD Co Ltd, which was founded annual increase of more than 30 expressway soon to be completed in the future and further help boost Hong Kong, followed China’s in 1995 in Shenzhen, has established percent in sales over the last few and running through Pingshan new industrial upgrading,” said Chen The expo will coincide with reform and opening­up policy and over 30 industrial parks worldwide, years. area, where our company is located,” Yue, deputy chief engineer and China’s development of the digi­ its strategy of developing foreign building its business related to elec­ “Emerging businesses have Zhang said. director of the Chief Engineer’s tal economy and efforts to pro­ trade. tronics, automobiles, new energy played a significant role in driving In the Guangdong­Hong Kong­ Office at the Shenzhen­Zhongshan mote deep integration of the “Following the success of the Tai­ and rail transit. the economic development of Macao Greater Bay Area, a number Link Administration Center. internet, big data, artificial intel­ ping plant, many entrepreneurs “Our business covers more than Shenzhen. We have increased our of new transportation facilities are It will take only about 30 min­ ligence and the real economy, from Hong Kong and Taiwan estab­ 300 cities in over 50 countries and production capacity to meet global being constructed, helping further utes to travel between Zhongshan and comes amid the country’s lished factories in Dongguan and regions, providing green energy market demand for biomedical strengthen connectivity among cit­ and Shenzhen when the eight­lane success in bringing the COVID­19 other cities in the Pearl River Delta and low­carbon vehicle services,” products and services,” Zhang said. ies within the GBA. structure, which also connects pandemic under better control. region to make shoes, bags, garments said Luo Hao, public relations Convenient and efficient trans­ The main bridge towers of Zhong­ Guangdong’s three pilot free trade Nestled in a mountainous and suitcases for export,” Su said. director at BYD. portation services have been key to shan Bridge, one of the key projects areas of Qianhai­Shekou in Shenz­ region, Guizhou has been striv­ As of 2020, Humen, in the heart of Zhang Lei, deputy general man­ helping boost the local economy, amid ongoing construction along hen, Nansha in Guangzhou and ing over the past a few years to the delta, has more than 782 over­ ager of Shenzhen New Industries Zhang added. the Shenzhen­Zhongshan Link, will Hengqin in Zhuhai, is completed become a global hub of big data, seas­funded companies registered, Biomedical Engineering Co Ltd, “We are expecting more business be completed before the end of this and opens to traffic in 2024. so as to help develop its local economy, boost employment and local residents’ earnings. Guian New Area, a national­ level new urban area in Guizhou, Guangzhou­Shenzhen Expressway key to delta region’s prosperity plans to create a hub of 12 mega data centers and 4 million serv­ By QIU QUANLIN investment policies since the reform “It is of great importance to eco­ ers with a fixed­asset investment in Shenzhen, Guangdong and opening­up in late 1970s, the nomic development of Guangzhou of over 40 billion yuan ($5.6 bil­ high efficiency of transportation and Shenzhen, helping form an lion) by 2025. Tech giant Foxconn’s investment infrastructure following the open­ industrial cluster in the delta Tao Changhai, Guizhou’s vice­ in Guangdong province, an econom­ ing of the Guangzhou­Shenzhen region,” said Wang. governor, said, “The province ic powerhouse in South China, has Expressway was very attractive for According to local government will continue to leverage the dig­ developed since the 1980s in a way overseas investment in the delta data, Shenzhen’s GDP increased ital economy to offer important similar to the route of the region,” Gou said. from 56.7 billion yuan in 1994 to 2.76 engines for the upgrade and Guangzhou­Shenzhen Expressway. Foxconn then started its construc­ trillion yuan in 2020. transformation of traditional “Our investment in Guangdong tion of a liquid­crystal display plant “A megacity cluster along the industries. was particularly concentrated along in Zengcheng district, Guangzhou, Guangzhou­Shenzhen Expressway “Guizhou has unique advanta­ the expressway between capital of Guangdong province, is forming, with total GDP of ges and conditions for the devel­ Guangzhou and Shenzhen in recent with an investment of 61 billion Guangzhou and Shenzhen surpas­ opment of big data. It has decades,” Terry Gou, founder of Fox­ yuan ($9.39 billion) in early 2017. sing 4 trillion yuan,” Wang said. attracted many large and super conn, said in an earlier interview. The project, covering an area of In the last two decades, emerging large data centers. More efforts Foxconn, the world’s largest origi­ about 1.5 square kilometers, was industries including modern logis­ will be made to create a better nal equipment manufacturer, start­ designed to produce 8K displays, tics and advanced manufacturing in environment for the develop­ ed its first investment project in smart TVs and electronic white­ cities along the expressway also ment of big data in the future.” Shenzhen in 1988, a year after the boards, among other products, help­ enjoyed rapid development, Wang More than 5,000 big data com­ construction of the 122.8­kilometer ing attract more than 70 upstream Foxconn employees work at a production facility in Shenzhen, added. panies have been set up in Guian expressway began. and downstream companies in the Guangdong province. WANG YISHU / FOR CHINA DAILY “The expressway has greatly accel­ New Area. The output of the area’s Average daily traffic flow along the industrial chain to invest in erated the development of modern digital economy reached 164.9 bil­ expressway between the two major Guangzhou. logistics and helped form a city clus­ lion yuan last year, accounting for cities in the Pearl River Delta region Before the operation of the The Guangzhou­Shenzhen Guangzhou­Shenzhen route has ter in the delta region,” Wang said. 38 percent of the region’s GDP. increased from 36,300 vehicles in Guangzhou­Shenzhen Expressway, Expressway was fully opened in greatly helped accelerate the eco­ Over the past two decades, a large 1994 when began trial operations to it took about half a day to travel 1997, becoming the first expressway nomic and social development of number of logistics companies and Ma Bingying contributed to this 650,000 vehicles in 2020, according between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, invested and constructed by Guang­ the cities along the route, according industrial zones sprouted up along story. to the Department of Transportation given there had been only a highway dong and neighboring Hong Kong. to Wang Wei, Party secretary of the the expressway, which runs through of Guangdong Province. with more than 150 kilometers Widely claimed as the busiest Guangzhou­Shenzhen Expressway Dongguan, a manufacturing hub in Contact the writers at “In addition to preferential between the two cities. expressway in China, the Administration Center. the delta region. 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