China takes lead in 5G and AI technologies

Following the swift development of advanced technologies including 5G and artificial intelligence, the world is now heading towards a smart era, with China taking the lead in emerging smart industries, said experts during the 2018 Smart China Expo.

Held in Chongqing Municipality on Aug. 23, the first Smart China Expo attracted over 500 domestic and international companies as exhibitors. The three-day tech event heralds the global surge in smart technologies, with a focus on intelligence industries, 5G and big data.

“There’s no doubt that China is one of the leaders in 5G research. It has been making great contributions to the ITU with its own 5G research and proposals. The ITU’s job is to collect such proposals and then combine them into a single international standard, while China’s proposal for IMT-2020 will also be taken into the final consideration,” Mario Maniewicz, deputy director of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) Radiocommunication Bureau, told People’s Daily Online.

Stressing China’s achievement in 5G technologies and the telecommunication industry, such as the Beidou Navigation Satellite System, Maniewicz noted that China will play a more important role in smart technologies in the future.

“Such scientific advancement will surely promote China’s economic growth in the long run,” said Maniewicz.

Echoing Maniewich, Penny Baldwin, CMO of Qualcomm, told People’s Daily Online that 5G and AI technologies will fundamentally change the way we live, while her company is willing to cooperate with its Chinese counterparts to further promote such technological advancements, noting the importance of the Chinese market.

With nearly 800 million internet users, China has the world's largest market for smartphones, mobile payment and online retail sales. The country has been the top consumer of industrial robots for six consecutive years, with the size of its artificial intelligence market growing an average of over 40 percent annually.