With China’s digital economy accounting for over one third of its GDP, many hope new policies can better protect data and properly regulate its usage. That’s one reason why thousands have descended on the second Digital China Summit in East China’s Fujian province.

More than 1,500 officials, company representatives and scholars are attending this second Digital China Summit in Fuzhou.

Industry leader Digital China Group is one of them. Its Chairman Guo Wei says the key is properly applying 5G and AI where needed.

“One of our major challenges is how to use the latest technologies to upgrade the infrastructure of traditional sectors. Many digital companies don’t understand the real needs of traditional industries,” Guo said.

From e-governance to smart cities and factories, China’s digital economy has produced a vast expanse of data. Many companies expect more policy support to share and make the best use of the data value.

Chen Tao, executive president of IFLYTEK Co Ltd said: “Data among government departments is shared, but whether it is possible to open data sources to companies for public use, there is no clear policy.”

According to a recent white paper, China’s domestic digital economy reached 31.3 trillion yuan in 2018. That’s about $4.6 trillion, and roughly 34.8 percent of China’s GDP. Through this summit, these companies hope that more collaboration will find new solutions for challenges ahead.