The Fujian Development and Reform Commission recently announced that it has reached an agreement with the State Information Center (SIC) to build a Maritime Silk Road big data center and its supporting system in Fujian in two years, the Fujian Daily reported on March 3.

With the aim of developing Fujian into the core area for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, the two sides will join hands to build a big data center, a Maritime Silk Road research institution, three big data sub-centers in Fuzhou, Xiamen and Quanzhou, and six big data application platforms featuring economic and trade cooperation, cultural exchange, cross-Straits cooperation, marine economy, macroscopic policy-making and social administration.

In addition, the provincial economic planner and SIC will establish a venture capital fund for big data innovation and incubation to entice various big data institutes and enterprises to Fujian and boost the province’s big data industry.

Building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road is part of the Belt and Road Initiative raised by President Xi Jinping in 2013 to strengthen regional economic integration and infrastructure connectivity.