South China's Guangxi rolls out big data investment project package to boost digital sector

BEIJING, July 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- South China-situated Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region announced a package of 119 big data projects to attract investment for sharpening the local digital industry recently.

On June 28, the Guangxi Big Data Industry Fair for Investment and Cooperation, as an important communication platform for introducing leading domestic Internet and big data enterprises into Guangxi, was convened in Beijing.

The project package, covering dozens of areas including intelligent transport, smart cities, high-end numerical control, cross-border E-commerce, modern agriculture, E-sports, film and animation, and unmanned driving, is dedicated to crafting Guangxi into a new highland for digital economy together with both domestic and overseas big data enterprises.

Yang Jinbai, Vice Chairman of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said these handpicked programs represent strong market demand and bright development prospects, and Guangxi hoped to turn them into flagship projects in its development of big data industry.

A majority of these programs, with total investment of more than 70 billion yuan, involve investment in excess of 500 million yuan and 25 ones of them require over one billion yuan of investment, explained Xi Yang, Deputy Secretary General of the People's Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and head of its big data development bureau.

Generally speaking, Guangxi boasts unique geological, ecological and natural resource advantages, which lay a solid foundation for it to develop big data industry. Guangxi is the only autonomous region linked overland and by sea with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and it is also a vital point of connectivity for the Belt and Road.

After the China-ASEAN Information Harbour construction plan was approved in February, Guangxi conducted investment inviting work centering upon five types of platforms including ones for infrastructure, information sharing, technology cooperation, economic and trade services and cultural exchanges.

Currently, Guangxi is accelerating construction of the grand international communication channel facing ASEAN. Via attracting companies to invest in Guangxi and inking cooperation pacts with firms from ASEAN members, the autonomous region has greatly improved the capacity of China-ASEAN Information Harbour in serving the ASEAN.

Last year, Guangxi saw its digital economy generate about 580 billion yuan of output, up more than 13 percent year on year and accounting for 28.9 percent of its regional economic product.