Logo of the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2021 on Wednesday in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province Photo: Chi Jingyi/GT

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He addressed the opening ceremony of the China International Big Data Industry Expo 2021 online on Wednesday, which is being held in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, from Wednesday to Friday, taking place online and offline.

Liu stressed the importance of big data in innovation and development in the post-COVID-19 era.

"China should broaden the application scenarios of big data, and foster the integration of digital technologies in various industries. China will also open further to welcome international companies to invest in China," said Liu, adding that the country will strengthen infrastructure construction in computing power and data power.

During his inspection visit to Guizhou in February, Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed efforts to further integrate big data with the real economy, foster and strengthen strategic emerging industries, and accelerate the development of a system of modern industries, Xinhua News Agency reported.

This year's expo will focus on data security, digital intelligence transformation driven by 5G, industrial digital transformation, global trade in digital services, and cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements in the field of big data from around the globe.

According to the event organizer, a total of 225 companies will participate in the expo with their exhibition booths, including Huawei, nucleic acid test kit maker BGI Group, China Mobile, leading facial recognition technology company SenseTime, Tencent and Baidu.

In addition, 53 domestic enterprises and enterprises from 51 countries and regions will participate in the trade exchange activities through both online and offline events.

The expo, being the first of its kind in China, has been held in Guiyang since 2015. The event was canceled last year due to the outbreak of COVID-19. In 2019, the expo has attracted more than 448 enterprises from 59 countries and regions.

Liu also hoped that the expo would be able to help digital economy development in Guizhou Province go forward.

Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou, has already been built into a major data center in the country. The added value of digital economy in Guiyang totaled 164.9 billion yuan ($25.7 billion) in 2020, contributing 38.2 percent of its GDP. The city has fostered more than 5,000 companies focusing on big data and digital-related industries.

Global Times