Building Pingtan into new node on digital Maritime Silk Road, says CAS Academician

Pingtan is an important hub of the Belt and Road Initiative. The construction of Pingtan's international digital economy port will help build Pingtan into a new node on the digital Maritime Silk Road, Mei Hong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and an expert in software engineering big data, said in Fuzhou, China’s Fujian Province on April 23.

Mei made the remarks in a speech at the Digital China Summit’s sub-forum of digital Maritime Silk Road. He also analyzed the development experience of the international digital economy port in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, which, as he said, serves as a good example that should be promoted along the Maritime Silk Road.

The investigation, planning and experimental implementation of the international digital economy port project in the Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone has already started, with a planned investment of 320 million yuan for the first phase. It is to build two basic platforms, "Big Data Platform" and "Public Service Platform", as well as three applications of "Free Trade Information Port", "Industrial Internet Innovation Application Center" and "Belt and Road Innovation Highland".

According to Mei, there are some features in Pingtan’s construction of the international digital economy port that valued.

Firstly, Pingtan makes efforts to build digital infrastructure, improve weak links, and develop cloud network speed.

Secondly, Pingtan builds a platform for public service construction, serving as a simple window for information sharing, to avoid repeated construction. Mei especially advocated integrating with the digital application of identity authentication and credit. It will be Pingtan’s characteristic to include MTP in the platform, which can “provide convenience for more Taiwan compatriots to live and work in Pingtan,” Mei said.

Thirdly, Pingtan is enhancing cross-border trade with customs clearance applications. With the help of the Industrial Internet Innovation Application Center, Pingtan is conducting a full range of test, demonstration and application of the driverless cars.

Mei suggested that Pingtan should promote the deep integration of internet big data AI and the real economy, cultivate new growth points in areas such as driverless cars, digital credit system, digital tourism and digital trade, and create a new engine for the digital economy.

The port will promote the collection, processing, analysis and research of massive data in the countries and regions along the Belt and Road to realize the transfer and release of data values. It is committed to converging flows of people, products and capitals with the drive of information flow, promoting integrated cross-strait development, and building a good digital economic and ecological environment, Mei said.