China will construct a national big data center, President Xi Jinping said during a collective study session of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in Beijing on Sunday.

Xi presided over the session, which included a lecture on information and network security by a Tsinghua University professor of microelectronics.

Xi pointed out the Chinese government must recognize the internet's important role in social governance, build up its e-governance and construct a new type of smart city. He urged the central government to establish a big-data center at the national level, so as to promote the convergence of technology, business and data, and provide better coordinated public services based on data sharing across government departments at various levels.

A national big data center would enable better decision-making and improve the efficiency of public services.

In his speech concluding the session, Xi stressed China must accelerate its innovation in information technology, strengthen the digital economy's role as a driver of economic growth, enhance network governance, strengthen cybersecurity, and strive for more say in the making of the international rules governing cyberspace.

Xi said network and information technology R& D is the most active and influential field for innovation today, and China should focus on making breakthroughs in cutting-edge and core technology, such as high-performance computing, mobile communications, quantum communication, core chips and operating systems.