Qingdao aims to become high-tech industrial capital

Qingdao, Shandong province, is reshaping its industrial sector with cutting-edge technologies employing the internet, cloud computing and big data, officials said recently.

"With its strong manufacturing and renowned brands, Qingdao will accelerate its efforts to use internet applications as it seeks to become the world's industrial internet capital," said Meng Fanli, mayor of Qingdao.

Qingdao is known for its industrial brands, such as China's leading home appliance makers Haier and Hisense and the world's fifth-largest brewery Tsingtao. China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the largest rolling stock manufacturer by production volume in the world, has a manufacturing base in the city.

"The city aims to encourage at least 1,000 enterprises to carry out smart manufacturing, make intelligent products and offer 500 possible application scenarios to attract investment that will grow the city's manufacturing prowess," Meng said in the annual government report at the fourth session of the 16th People's Congress of Qingdao, which was held from Saturday to Monday.

Meng's report emphasized the role played by COSMOPlat, a leading industrial internet platform developed by Haier Group. It has become one of the world's largest mass custom solutions platforms and has 330 million users, according to the company.

Last year, Qingdao saw an increase of 29.7 percent in investment in technology-driven industrial upgrades. The investment in strategic emerging industries and high-tech industries increased by respectively by 26.5 and 101.8 percent.

The city was also designated last year by national authorities as a "Famous Software City", a leading zone for innovative, national-level artificial intelligence applications. It has established a pilot part for the development of 5G video in its West Coast New Area.