HANGZHOU, May 17 -- China's Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Zhang Yunming on Friday urged efforts to enhance breakthroughs in key and cutting-edge technologies such as 5G-A and 6G, as well as artificial intelligence and quantum communication.

Efforts should also be made to strengthen the building of innovation mechanisms and ecosystems to facilitate the emergence of original and transformative technological innovation in the information and communications sector, Zhang said at the 2024 World Telecommunication & Information Society Day held in the city of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province.

China has for many years made continued efforts to promote the modernization of digital infrastructure systems, and currently boasts the world's biggest and technologically advanced 5G network.

Zhang said China's industrial development is now in a crucial transition from big to strong, highlighting the key role of information and communications technologies (ICT) in upgrading the whole chain of industrial production, improving total factor productivity, and effectively tackling industrial problems.

The ministry will accelerate ICT breakthroughs to support new types of industrialization, deepen the integration of 5G and the industrial internet, and promote the application of digital technologies in areas such as education, medical services, and elderly care.