China should boost digital economy: Premier Li

BEIJING - China should use emerging information technology including cloud computing and internet of things to shore up the digital economy, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said.

"The digital economy has enormous potential," Li said at a seminar on Monday, citing rapid growth in information consumption, mobile payments and e-commerce.

"Traditional industries should pick up speed in becoming more digitized, intelligent and green."

The premier expects information technology to create new sectors and new business models for the economy.

China should bolster emerging tertiary sectors including intelligent transportation and remote education to improve public services, Li said, adding that the "Internet Plus" can help make government affairs more transparent.

Li stressed further opening up in the telecom sector, support for research and development of new technology, and cyberspace security.

Having become a major growth driver, the digital economy rose 18.9 percent from a year ago to 22.6 trillion yuan ($3.4 trillion) last year.

Li called for more efforts on integrated development of small firms and industrial giants.

Enterprises should establish open Internet platforms to better allocate resources, match supply and demand, promote coordinated research and development, and build a new industrial ecosystem, according to Li.

As a result, innovation will be more efficient, manufacturing will improve, and economic and industrial upgrades will be pushed forward, Li said.

During the meeting, Li also urged continued efforts to offer faster and more affordable Internet services, which will help improve business competitiveness and reduce social costs.

Charges can be further lowered for individual consumers and small businesses, Li said.

In a visit to the country's three telecom operators ahead of the meeting, Li encouraged companies to develop more core technology and improve global competitiveness.

When listening to a report on how new technology could address difficulties in parking shared bicycles, Li said there are always problems in new things, which should be solved through new technology and in new ways.

The government will adopt cautious, inclusive supervision over new business models to ensure their robust and orderly development, Li said.