Guiyang big data expo lauded across the globe

Visitors gather at the venue for the China International Big Data Industry Expo held in Guiyang, Guizhou province. [Photo/Dong Xianwu for China Daily]

Record attendance includes over 150 foreign companies

Guiyang, capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province, has pioneered China's big data industry, impressing the world with digital tools to serve the real economy and promote high-quality development. The city is again standing in the spotlight as the key expo newly opened.

The China International Big Data Industry Expo, the most influential annual event in the big data industry, kicked off May 26.

This time, a record 59 countries, 156 foreign companies and 39 Fortune Global 500 companies joined the expo. The larger-than-ever conference participation shows the growing influence of the expo and Guiyang claim to fame as the Chinese data valley.

"The big data expo is an international carnival that displays the latest technologies, applications and business modes of big data," said Sun Zhigang, Party secretary of Guizhou province at the opening ceremony.

"It aims to promote cooperation and communications in a global context by sharing achievements that have been made and realizing further development with joint dialogue."

Guizhou province is the first national big data comprehensive experimental zone, the first industrial cluster, technological innovation area and internet safety pilot zone in terms of big data.

It is also home to the first big data exchange, the first national big data laboratory and first international big data expo.

The big data technology is not an abstract concept to Guizhou, but it's seen, heard and felt in everyday life. The tool has been applied in segments, such as financial service, tourism, pension, logistics and culture.

Traditional mining factories are equipped with intelligent devices.

Farmers shook off poverty by selling their agricultural products to the outside world by e-commerce.

People in the mountainous areas access medical resources through remote medical treatment. The efficiency of government has been significantly improved as paperless platforms and inter-department shared information techniques were commonly adopted.

Jim Yong Kim, former World Bank Chief, once investigated the region, saying "China's big data center is in Guizhou".

Kamal Dhuper, president of Indian talent development company NIIT in China, told local media in Guizhou that globalization has brought different countries together and created more cooperative opportunities.

"Guizhou has become a pioneer in big data and will bring about more opportunities."

Besides nine high-level dialogues, 53 forums and the release of 49 cutting-edge scientific and technological achievements, this year's expo for the first time invited Morocco as host country and held high-level dialogue on big data and global poverty reduction as well as organizing artificial intelligence and automatic driving competition.

Sidi Mohammed Drissi Melyani, director-general of the Moroccan Agency of Digital Development, said at a high-level dialogue Sunday that the expo has become an indispensible event for foreign and Chinese companies, with a goal to promote innovation and technological breakthroughs.

He said Guizhou has many experiences that they can learn from, especially in poverty-relief backed by big data.

The country has set up a digitalization development department aiming to create more jobs and improve people's livelihood.

"We hope to expand cooperation with Guizhou in more areas," he said.