Yicai:

This census is the first to include content related to the digital economy. What do the results of the census show in terms of the current development status of China's digital economy? And what new achievements have been made? Thank you.

Wang Guanhua:

Thank you for your questions. Your question is regarding the development of the digital economy, and this is the first time such data has been included in the national economic census. In recent years, the NBS has continuously advanced the statistical monitoring and accounting of the digital economy. For the first time, the fifth national economic census included survey results on the digital economy. The census data shows that China's digital economy is thriving, with steady progress being made in digital industrialization and the digital transformation of industries, injecting new momentum into economic and social development. Specifically, the following key features can be observed:

First, significant progress has been made in the digitalization of industries. Digital industrialization, which refers to the core industries of the digital economy, includes digital product manufacturing, digital product services, digital technology applications and digital factor-driven industries. These sectors form the foundation of digital economic development. Over the five years, the scale of digital product manufacturing, services and applications has steadily expanded, and the quality of development has consistently improved. To briefly provide some data, in 2023, China had 2.916 million legal entities in the core industries of the digital economy, achieving operating revenue of 48.4 trillion yuan, accounting for 10.9% of the operating revenue of all legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries.

Second, digital manufacturing and digital applications have clear advantages. Among the core industries of the digital economy, the digital product manufacturing sector makes up a relatively high share of operating revenue, accounting for more than 40%. Meanwhile, the number of enterprises in the digital technology application sector is relatively large, approaching 50%. This reflects the scale advantage of China's digital product manufacturing industry and the dynamic development of its digital technology application sector. According to the fifth national economic census, in 2023, there were 262,000 legal entities in the digital product manufacturing sector, accounting for 9% of all enterprises in the core digital economy industries. The operating revenue reached 20.5 trillion yuan, accounting for 42.3%. In the digital technology application sector, there were 1.43 million legal entities, accounting for 49% of the total, and operating revenue amounted to 14 trillion yuan, accounting for 29%.

Third, the digital economy in the eastern region is developing well. From the perspective of regional characteristics in digital economic development, the eastern region leads the country due to its favorable infrastructure, abundant application scenarios and advanced development. In 2023, the number of legal entities in the core industries of the digital economy in the eastern, central, western and northeastern regions accounted for 62.2%, 20.2%, 13.6% and 4.0% of the national total, respectively. The operating revenue of these four regions accounted for 73.0%, 13.8%, 11.9% and 1.3%, respectively. These figures show that the eastern region has a higher share than other regions and is a leading force in the development of the digital economy.

Fourth, the digital transformation of industries is steadily progressing. Industrial digitalization, which refers to the integration of digital technologies into traditional industries, reflects the fusion of digital technology and the real economy. In recent years, through the application of digital technologies such as cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and the industrial internet, industries have been undergoing transformation and upgrading, with improvements in production efficiency. This trend is becoming a new highlight in the development of China's digital economy. According to the fifth national economic census, in 2023, 47% of enterprises above designated size applied digital technologies like cloud computing, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and the industrial internet. By industry, in the secondary sector, 54.1% of enterprises above designated size adopted digital technologies, including 41.6% applying cloud computing, 40.1% using the industrial internet and 32.1% utilized the Internet of Things. In the tertiary sector, 41.5% of enterprises above designated size adopted digital technologies, with 34.5% using cloud computing and 22.2% utilizing the Internet of Things.

The above four aspects reflect the current situation and characteristics of China's digital economy development as indicated by the fifth national economic census. I hope this answers your question.

Shou Xiaoli:

Thank you, Mr. Kang, all the speakers and friends from the media. Today's briefing is hereby concluded. Goodbye.

Translated and edited by Yang Xi, Yang Chuanli, Liu Sitong, Liu Jianing, Guo Yiming, Liu Caiyi, Mi Xingang, Huang Shan, Wang Qian, Wang Yanfang, Yan Bin, Wang Yiming, Li Huiru, David Ball. In case of any discrepancy between the English and Chinese texts, the Chinese version is deemed to prevail.