China enhanced the development of information infrastructure and application capabilities during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), making new breakthroughs in innovation in internet and information technology, the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.

Over the past five years, China has consistently prioritized innovation as the primary driving force behind its informatization drive, yielding a series of landmark, original, and disruptive scientific and technological achievements.

"New achievements have been made in integrated circuits, artificial intelligence, and foundational software. The total number of devices running the open-source HarmonyOS operating system has surpassed 1.19 billion units. Multiple products, including Tongyi Qianwen and DeepSeek, rank among the world's top performers. Over 700 generative artificial intelligence (AI) large language model products have completed registration. Embodied intelligence is gradually advancing toward industrial applications, while intelligent agents are accelerating innovation and development," Wen Ruisong, director of the Informatization Development Bureau of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission said at the press conference.

Over the past five years, the added value of core industries of China's digital economy rose from 7.8 percent of national GDP to 10.4 percent.

China has built the world's second-largest digital economy and emerged as a global leader in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and blockchain to smart manufacturing.

In 2024, the combined operating revenues of major firms of the country's electronic information manufacturing sector reached 16.19 trillion yuan (about 2.3 trillion U.S. dollars), while the combined revenue of the software sector hit 13.73 trillion yuan, representing increases of 33.8 percent and 68.2 percent respectively compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020).

"We have accelerated the coordinated digital and green transformation and development with enhanced efficiency. In the steel industry, digital energy and carbon management systems now cover about 40 percent of the national production capacity. Green, low-carbon digital production and lifestyle practices have become more widespread. The vitality of cyber and information technology enterprises continues to strengthen. The number of high-tech enterprises in the country has surpassed 500,000, with improvement in innovation capabilities of cyber and information technology companies," said Wen.

China has maintained a leading position in the world in the realm of digital governance. Over 90 percent of government services are now available online, and online and one-stop services are provided for over 92.5 percent of the items requiring provincial administrative licensing.

"During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the number of China's internet users has grown from 989 million to 1.123 billion, with the internet accessibility rising from 70.4 percent to 79.7 percent. Over 60 percent of citizens have primary or higher-level digital literacy and skills. Informatization has facilitated the widespread availability and accessibility of high-quality resources in education, healthcare, culture, and other sectors," Wen said.