Yangtze Delta provinces and municipality see digital economy over 1 trln yuan

The digital economy of east China's Yangtze Delta region including the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu, and Shanghai Municipality exceeded one trillion yuan (145 billion U.S. dollars) respectively, according to a Tuesday summit in Jiangsu.

Statistics show that Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai saw their digital economy reach 3 trillion yuan, 2 trillion yuan and one trillion yuan respectively in 2018, reporting record growth in the Yangtze Delta region.

"The digital economy is leading today's scientific and technological revolution and industrial change," said Yan Li, vice chairman of Jiangsu provincial political consultative conference. "The Yangtze Delta region should cooperate in building a pilot zone of China's digital economic development," said Yan.

The region should enhance cooperation in developing infrastructure and cultivating software talents, said Zhou Hanmin, head of Shanghai Institute of Socialism. "Talents are the pillar for the digital economy and the region's educational sectors should work together to exploit their strength."

China's digital economy reached 31.3 trillion yuan (about 4.6 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2018, accounting for 34.8 percent of the country's total GDP.