Data management vital to China's growth in digital technology

China is stepping up efforts to become a global leader in digital technology with targets of industry output reaching 10 percent of the nation's gross domestic product by the end of the year.

The digital industry encompasses a wide array of technologies, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing and large data centers.

The National Data Administration called for 5 percent annual growth in digital technologies earlier this month. The nation also plans to expand computing power to more than 300 Eflops, doubling the current level. Eflops are a unit for measuring the speed of a computer system, representing one quintillion of "floating-point operations" per second.

"China must accelerate the construction of an integrated national data market, developing a digital economy with data as the key driver," the administration said. "Efforts must be stepped up to improve size and quality of digital infrastructure and to seek global cooperation."

It is the first time that the administration, set up only two years ago, issued a document as guidance for regional data management authorities.

Liu Liang, deputy director of the Institute of Applied Economics at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and Song Yue, a postgraduate student at the academy, said data is the basis of the digital economy and a key factor in scientific research. Managing it effectively will determine its growth.

The pair also said that the National Data Administration's guidance is particularly vital now, amid rising global trade competition and trade tensions.

Last month, the US announced it will prohibit institutions in China, Russia, Iran and other "countries of concern" from accessing certain data stored in its National Institutes of Health. Liu and Song said the move is an unfortunate part of the current tariff war.

International collaboration is important, both agreed, in scientific research, adding that China should build a data management system that can withstand external risks while still welcoming international cooperation.

Liu and Song said Shanghai is poised to become a leader in the digital economy. The Shanghai Data Exchange, a pioneer in digital information, listed more than 5,000 data products listed last year and reported trading revenue exceeding 5 billion yuan (US$692 million).