The huge populace of online shoppers in China is a good base for industry 4.0, says an Alibaba executive. (Photo : www.observerintelligence.com)
Gao Hongbing, e-commerce giant Alibaba's vice president, lauded the large population of China's online shoppers, tallying up to 330 million, citing that is a good foundation for developing industry 4.0.
The Alibaba executive remarked the recognition in an exclusive interview with state-run Xinhua News Agency on Sunday.
Gao stated that the huge populace could serve as a catalyst in the growth of Internet Plus, which he considers as a viral aspect in restructuring China's industry as a leading global manufacturer.
The country has recently unveiled its national "Internet Plus" action plan. The blueprint intends to fuel economic growth by integrating the Internet with traditional industries.
The scheme lays out development roadmap for key sectors such as mass entrepreneurship and innovation, agriculture, public services, logistics, manufacturing, energy, traffic, finance, biology, artificial intelligence and e-commerce. The government anticipates that through these sectors, new industrial modes could be established.
Gao acknowledged the advantage the Internet gives, stating that [its application] "will give rise to the restructuring and upgrading of more traditional industries."
The Alibaba executive also cited that "a large e-buyer population is China's opportunity for industry 4.0," referring to Germany's Industrie 4.0, the fruit of the development of fully automated "smart" factories. The project was a collaboration of the German government and research and business firms.
For Internet giant Tencent Vice President Guo Kaitian, the plan could fuel leapfrog development in China's still underdeveloped countryside, and in its central and western areas where there is relatively poor infrastructure.
"Internet Plus can directly link supply with demand, and it is an inclusive model of growth," Guo enthused.
Premier Li Keqiang first presented the Internet Plus concept in March of this year during the delivery of the government work report.
