Chinese Premier Calls for Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Sector – Xinhua

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, receives a briefing on research and development work related to AI software and chips during a visit to an AI company in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, July 2, 2024. Li was on a research trip to Suzhou city from Tuesday to Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

NANJING, July 3 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for measures to promote the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and accelerate the development of enterprises that use specialized advanced technologies to produce unique and innovative products, with the aim of upgrading the industrial system.

Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made the remarks during a research trip to Suzhou city, east China’s Jiangsu province, which began on Tuesday and ended on Wednesday.

As part of his trip, Li visited the production workshops of an industrial automation solutions provider in Suzhou, where he learned about the company’s research and development activities for industrial robot components and other products.

Stressing the need for more advanced, smarter and greener development in the manufacturing sector, Li called for measures to encourage enterprises to join national strategies and gain development opportunities through science and technology innovation.

During his visit to the AI ​​company, Li learned about AI software and chip R&D, learned about solutions for the automotive and home appliance sectors, and experienced large language model (LLM) technologies first-hand.

The rapid increase in the number of LLM applicants has brought about transformative changes in R&D and production methods, he said, calling for efforts to leverage China’s advantages in market size, diversified demand and rich application scenarios to promote the deep integration of AI with the real economy.

The premier also chaired a symposium during the research trip, where he noted that digital transformation of the manufacturing industry is a key task to strengthen China’s manufacturing strength. He called for work to harness the power of AI, as well as efforts to accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies and build digital infrastructure.

“Little giants” – the new elites among China’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are engaged in manufacturing, specialise in niche markets and boast cutting-edge technologies – play a key role in facilitating the digital transformation of the manufacturing sector and nurturing new, high-quality productive forces, he said.

Li encouraged these companies to increase innovation and develop a global perspective for further development.

Governments at all levels should increase policy support and create an enabling environment that will enable more small and medium-sized enterprises to stand out from the crowd, he said. ■

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, visits a production workshop run by an industrial automation solutions provider and learns about the company’s research and development work on industrial robot components and other products in Suzhou, east China’s Jiangsu province, July 2, 2024. Li was on a research trip to Suzhou from Tuesday to Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)