World Internet Development Report 2024 and China Internet Development Report 2024 were released by the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies on Thursday, at the ongoing 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province. Photo: Zhang Weilan/GT

China ranks second in the world on the Global Internet Development Index, according to the Blue Book for the World Internet Conference released on Thursday.

The blue book also shows that China and the US are ahead in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), as China continues to cultivate strength in AI innovation.

The blue book, which consists of two reports - the World Internet Development Report 2024 and China Internet Development Report 2024 - was released by the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies (CACS) on Thursday, at the ongoing 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit.

The index shows that the US and China are leading in internet development, followed by South Korea, Finland, Singapore and the Netherlands.

The blue book showcases that China is in a neck-and-neck race with major competitors in internet development. Internet experts said that while China and the US have taken unique paths based on their own societal values, regulatory frameworks and market dynamics, both have made significant strides in internet development.

In terms of digital technology and innovation capability, China is rapidly enhancing its capabilities in cutting-edge innovations, said the World Internet Development Report 2024.

The World Internet Development Report 2024 highlights the role of digital technology in driving innovation, with AI leading the trend of global competition. It states that China and the US are maintaining their lead in the field of AI innovations. US companies lead in the development, investment and commercialization of top-level large AI models, whereas their Chinese counterparts continue to forge advantages in AI-innovation potential and market applications.

The reports highlight that AI will transform the industrial ecosystem in China, focusing on stability, safety, commercial value and the practical application of AI, emphasizing the importance of data security, fairness and ethics to ensure reliable applications, Liu Gang, chief economist at the Chinese Institute of New Generation AI Development Strategies, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"These trends are expected to drive AI technology forward, powering technological advances, industrial transformation and growth across various sectors," Liu noted.

In the last 30 years, China has made remarkable progress in internet development. The country's information sector has rapidly advanced, achieving major breakthroughs in 3G and 4G, and leading in 5G mobile technology, Wang Jiang, president of the CACS, said on Thursday at the launch event for the blue book.

China has rolled out the world's largest and most advanced 5G network, which currently boasts 889 million 5G mobile phone users, accounting for 52 percent of the world's total, according to CACS data.

The commercial use of 5G continues to expand in China. In 2023, the mobile market contributed approximately $970 billion in added value to China's economy, which is expected to reach $1.1 trillion in 2030, the China Internet Development Report 2024 said.

In addition, China's independently developed BeiDou Navigation Satellite System has entered a phase of large-scale application, bolstered by the country's strong information infrastructure. China's computing power infrastructure is also expanding rapidly, and now ranks second in the world, Wang said.

"With nearly 1.1 billion internet users and an internet penetration rate of 78 percent, the value of data resources is being swiftly leveraged, helping to foster new quality productive forces," Wang said.

The continued improvement of information infrastructure in China helps boost production efficiency, lowers transaction costs and supports the digital transformation of industries, which further fosters sustained economic growth, Li Yi, deputy director of the "Internet+" Research and Consulting Center of the China Internet Association, told the Global Times on Thursday.

"The World Internet Development Report 2024 also indicates that future-oriented industries are becoming a key battleground for competition among major nations. This mainly refers to emerging sectors such as AI, humanoid robots, metaverse, next-generation internet, 6G, quantum information and deep sea, deep air and deep space," Wang said.