China's digital economy maintained rapid growth during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with annual average growth of more than 16.6 percent, the People's Daily overseas edition reported.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, by the end of last year, the value-added of core industries of China's digital economy account for 7.8 percent of GDP, with obvious enhancement in quality and efficiency.

China has put more effort into promoting the development of the digital economy in recent years, providing strong support for building a Digital China, said Yang Yuyan, director of the information technology development bureau of the ministry.

China has built the largest fiber-optic and 4G networks in the world, with the number of 5G terminal connections surpassing 200 million.

Software and information services, electronic information manufacturing and telecommunications service experienced burgeoning development. Taking software as an example, last year the industry posted revenue of 8.16 trillion yuan, up 13.3 percent year-on-year.

The government sped up digital transformation and promoted the construction of industrial internet. At present, China has established more than 80 influential industrial internet platforms, with the number of industrial applications surpassing 350,000, providing strong support to enhance quality and efficiency while reducing costs.

In terms of information consumption, the nation actively cultivated and popularized data-driven new business modes and patterns. It is worth mentioning that online education, telecommuting and online shopping played an important role during the fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, State-owned enterprises actively took part in digital transformation and achieved positive progress, said Gou Ping, director of the bureau of technological innovation and social responsibility under the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission.

SOEs fully played a key role in new infrastructure, such as 5G, big data centers and industrial internet, Gou said. More than 80 centrally controlled SOEs built group-level data centers and industrial internet platforms. Commercial Aircraft Corp of China built the first fully connected 5G factory in China.

SOEs also deepened the integration of digital technology and production operation, making major strides in digital innovation, production operation intellectualization and industrial system ecologicalization, Gou added.

Next, the nation will speed up the development of digital industrialization and industrial digitization, improve the digital governance system and promote digital services, said Sun Wei, director of the innovation and high-tech development bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission.

China will promote rapid growth of digital economy and strengthen innovation application of key digital technologies, Sun added. The government will drive the reform of modes of production, living and governing via digital transformation to promote high-quality development.