2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

The 2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opened in Shenyang City of northeast China's Liaoning Province on Thursday, unveiling the latest achievements in China's 5G, big data and other digital areas.

The conference, scheduled to conclude on Saturday, focuses on digital transformation. It has brought together well-known exports, scholars and representatives of leading enterprises from both China and abroad to explore the trend in industrial internet innovation.

The conference revealed that the number of 5G plus Industrial Internet projects in China has exceeded 14,000, with industrial internet integration across all 49 major national economic categories, achieving full coverage.

Functions and structures of China's industrial Internet have both kept improving, and the value of core sectors in the area has exceeded 1.35 trillion yuan (about 190 billion U.S. dollars).

Over 510 billion unique identifiers have been registered in the industrial internet, covering nearly 450,000 companies, facilitating their operations and connectivity.

Approximately 340 industrial internet platforms, spanning comprehensive, specialized and niche services, are driving the sector forward. The development of the National Industrial Internet Big Data Center is picking up pace, amassing over 1.4 billion data entries, according to data released at the conference.

The National Equipment Manufacturing Digital Supply Chain Platform was also launched at the conference.

To date, the platform has gathered nearly 370,000 companies and 2.01 million active engineers, creating the nation's largest digital inventory of industrial products, which includes over 210 million digital items spanning key sectors such as machine tools, medical equipment and industrial robots.

"The conference this comprises 22 special forums, events and exchange activities with the focus on cutting-edge technologies and emerging industries such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology. It is more market-oriented, professional and international. It highlights the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries with a new generation of information technology, aimed at achieving industrial upgrading through a dual promotion of technological innovation and industrial development," said Liu Wenqing, deputy director of the China Industrial Internet Research Institute, in an interview with China Central Television on the sidelines of the conference.

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

2024 Global Industrial Internet Conference opens in northeast China city, highlighting digital progress

Multiple handheld pager explosions struck Beirut and the southeastern and northeastern regions of Lebanon on Tuesday, leading to a temporary internet shutdown in the southern suburbs of the capital city, according to China Media Group (CMG) reporter Ci Xiaoning.

"I am currently at the entrance of a major hospital in Beirut, Lebanon's capital. Around 15:30 today, there were several explosions in the southern suburbs of Beirut. My Lebanese colleague, who lives very close to the area, experienced an immediate loss of internet connectivity. Reports have since confirmed that many handheld pagers were involved in the explosions," Ci reported outside a hospital in Beruit.

Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad confirmed that the explosions resulted in at least nine deaths and about 2,800 injuries, with approximately 200 people in critical condition. The injured are being transferred to hospitals.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it is conducting security and scientific investigations to identify the reasons behind these explosions, adding that the group is "at the highest level of readiness to defend Lebanon and its people."

In a separate statement, the Shiite group blamed Israel for "this criminal attack," vowing to retaliate.

The Lebanese Council of Ministers stressed that the government, shortly after the deadly explosions, began contacting the concerned countries and the United Nations to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Israel has yet to comment on Tuesday's blasts. According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant held a security assessment meeting at the HaKirya military base in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to address the implications of the explosions.

CMG reporter says internet shutdown following deadly pager blasts in Lebanon