Sound data systems unleash multiplier effects - Interview with Liu Liehong, Party Secretary and Director of the National Bureau of Statistics.

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, December 25th - In-Depth Data System to Unlock Multiplier Effect Interview with Liu Liehong, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the National Bureau of Statistics The "Suggestions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Formulating the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development" adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee made clear requirements and important deployments on "deepening the construction of digital China". How to understand the strategic task of "deepening the construction of digital China" and the empowering role of intelligence in various fields of economic and social development? What areas will the National Bureau of Statistics focus on during the "15th Five-Year Plan"? Xinhua News Agency interviewed Liu Liehong, Secretary of the Party Group and Director of the National Bureau of Statistics. Activating Data Elements to Drive New Quality Productivity Question: How do you understand the "deepening the construction of digital China" strategic task deployed in the "accelerating high-level scientific self-reliance, leading the development of new quality productivity" section of the "Suggestions"? The construction of digital China involves all aspects of economic and social development, across various fields of production and living, spanning the entire process of technological breakthroughs, scenario verification, industrial applications, and system upgrades. It can continuously nurture new quality productivity, which is beneficial for China to take the initiative in the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, and build new advantages in national competition. Unlike the "accelerate digital development" put forward in the 14th Five-Year Plan suggestion under the "accelerate the development of modern industrial system, promote the optimization and upgrading of economic system" chapter, the "Suggestions" in the "accelerate high-level scientific self-reliance, lead the development of new quality productivity" section deploys the strategic task of "deepening the construction of digital China" in one section, fully reflecting the strategic vision of the Party Central Committee in overseeing the overall situation and grasping the trend. First, data elements play a more important role in developing new quality productivity. By 2024, the national data production volume will reach 41.06 zettabytes, the number of national data enterprises will exceed 400,000, and the scale of the data industry will reach 5.86 trillion yuan. The national recognition of the value of data elements is constantly deepening. The "Suggestions" make task deployments around improving the basic system of data elements, building an open, shared, and secure national integrated data market, and deepening the development and utilization of data resources. This requires us to reform the market-oriented allocation of data elements through reform, to be driven by reform, with the impetus of reform, further stimulate the vitality of various entities to provide and use data, promote the normative and efficient circulation and development of data elements in a wider range and more areas, and fully unleash the multiplier effect of data elements. Second, intelligence technology is an important force in nurturing new quality productivity. The "Suggestions" propose accelerating innovation in intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, fully implementing the "AI+" action, strengthening AI governance, etc. This requires us to seize the historical opportunity of AI development, accelerate the deep integration of AI technology innovation and industrial innovation, give birth to more new formats and models, promote China's scientific and technological leapfrog development, industrial optimization and upgrading, and overall productivity leapfrogging, and win the initiative in global technological competition. Third, the digital economy provides a strong driving force for the development of new quality productivity. As data elements are accelerating in various industries and deepening the "intelligence changes data" initiative, new modes such as personalized customization, flexible production, etc., continue to emerge, fundamentally changing the organizational form and industrial model of enterprises, making the digital economy an important economic form. The "Suggestions" make strategic task deployments around the digital economy, requiring us to fully utilize the advantages of rich data resources, leading infrastructure, complete industrial systems, and broad application scenarios, accelerate the deep integration of the real economy and digital economy, cultivate new tracks of digital economy innovation, shape new dynamics and advantages of development. Intelligence Leading the Construction of Digital China Question: The "Suggestions" put forward tasks for the development of intelligence in various fields, how do you understand the empowering role of intelligence in various fields of economic and social development? Currently, the momentum of intelligent technologies represented by artificial intelligence penetrating into various fields such as economy, politics, culture, society, and ecological civilization's construction is accelerating. The "Suggestions" make key deployments around the development of intelligence in fields such as constructing a modern industrial system, safeguarding and improving people's livelihoods, expanding opening up, etc. We need to integrate intelligence development thinking into various fields in order to achieve this. In terms of empowering a modern industrial system with intelligence, using data elements and intelligent technology to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, cultivate and expand emerging industries and future industries, reshape industrial ecology, has become an important direction for industrial development in the future. The "Suggestions" propose persisting in focusing on the development of the real economy, and make key deployments around intelligence in areas such as industry, infrastructure, trade circulation, finance, etc., which require us to follow the trends of digitalization, networking, and intelligence, accelerate the intelligent transformation of the tertiary industries and basic infrastructure, promote the intelligent, green, and integrated development of industries. In terms of empowering public services with intelligence, utilizing intelligent methods to improve the public service system can effectively break the limitations of geographical space and resource distribution, expand the coverage of quality digital public service resources, continuously narrow the gaps between regions, urban and rural areas, different groups, basic public services, etc., and allow the general public to share the fruits of intelligent development. The "Suggestions" propose tasks such as promoting cultural construction empowered by intelligence, digital transformation of education, and intelligent construction of national health, which require us to take benefiting the people as the fundamental value orientation, strengthen data empowerment, make data run more while people run less, deepen digital convenience for the people, promote the deep integration of intelligent technologies with public services such as education, healthcare, housing, employment, elderly care, culture, etc., to better meet the high-quality life needs of the people. In terms of empowering high-level opening-up with intelligence, as the trend of digitalization, greening, and serving international trade accelerates, the position of digital economy and artificial intelligence in international trade becomes more prominent. The "Suggestions" propose innovating the development of digital trade, promoting efficient, convenient, and secure cross-border flow of data, expanding new strategic spaces for cooperation in areas such as artificial intelligence, digital economy, etc., which require us to deepen international cooperation in the field of intelligence, work with countries worldwide to build an open, inclusive, mutually beneficial new pattern of international cooperation in the field of intelligence. Improving Data Foundation System to Cultivate Data Industry Foundation Question: During the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, how will the National Bureau of Statistics implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, deepen the reform of market-oriented allocation of data elements, and promote the better functioning of data elements? The Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee has provided guidance for us to do a good job in various aspects of the data field. We will coordinate the planning and construction of Digital China, digital economy, and digital society, focus on artificial intelligence as the largest variable and the largest increment, improve the basic system, enhance infrastructure, strengthen scenario applications, facilitate circulation and transactions, develop the data industry, deepen international cooperation, and through this set of policy "combos", fully unleash the "data flywheel" effect. First, improve the data basic system. Continuously improve the system of data property rights, market transactions, rights distribution, and interest protection. Accelerate the reform of market-oriented allocation of data elements, and promptly elevate the results of reforms to legal systems based on practice, to provide institutional guarantees for the secure, normative, and efficient circulation and utilization of data. Second, promote the construction of data infrastructure. Guide various regions and industries to build data infrastructure tailored to specific scenarios, to enhance support for scenario implementation. Change the concept of data security to promote data security protection from a static defense to secure circulation, from decentralized construction to concentrated services, from passive security to active compliance. Consider factors such as energy resources, location conditions, industrial foundation, and ecological conditions, optimize the layout of computing resources. Implement the national integrated computing network monitoring and scheduling project, promote the integration and innovation development of "data-network-computing-electricity". Third, strengthen data integration applications. Deepen the action of "data elements ", focus on the development and utilization of public data resources, the digital transformation of cities, etc., create key application scenarios to drive the development and utilization of data resources. Deepen the implementation of the "1+3" policy system for the development and utilization of public data resources, promote the sharing of government data, open and authorizing public data, implement the action of improving the efficiency of data in state-owned enterprises, expand the effective supply of data. Implement the action plan for the development of trusted data space, cultivate a batch of trusted data spaces with rich data resources, broad participation, and a sound business model, innovate data circulation and utilization models. Focus on key areas and innovative fields, build a number of high-quality data sets across industries, promote the scale supply and facility application of high-quality data sets. Fourth, promote data circulation and transactions. Speed up the issuance of policy documents to promote the construction of an integrated data market, comprehensively improve data market rules, prosper the market ecosystem, build market facilities, and improve market governance to enhance the efficiency of data resource allocation. Increase efforts to cultivate data exchange (center) enterprises, data circulation service platform enterprises, data merchants, and other data circulation service entities, further stimulate market vitality. Fifth, cultivate and expand the data industry. Support localities to cultivate diversified operators, establish a database of data companies, fully stimulate the innovative vitality of data companies. Support all regions to give full play to their comparative advantages, build a number of cooperative, complementary, distinctive, competitive, and demonstrative data industry agglomeration zones tailored to local conditions, accelerate the formation of industry ecology and scale advantages. Sixth, deepen international cooperation in the data field. Actively participate in the formulation of data governance rules under the United Nations framework. Strengthen dialogue on digital policies with key countries, enhance mutual trust in data. Innovate cross-border data flow models, support local initiatives to promote orderly and free flow of data in accordance with local conditions.