Nation ranks 2nd in global internet development, rolls out largest 5G network

China ranks second in the world on the Global Internet Development Index, which was released on Wednesday at the 2023 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit, following the launch of the World Internet Development Report 2023 and China Internet Development Report 2023.

The reports analyzed and calculated indicators of internet development in a representative sample of 52 countries on five continents. The index showed that China and the US are in the leading positions worldwide, with China following the US as second on the list.

Countries including Singapore, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden are also top-tier in terms of internet development.

The World Internet Development Report 2023 highlighted the contribution of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). It showed that the BRI, especially the Digital Silk Road, has significantly contributed to the internet construction of the BRI partner countries, as 15 partner countries with lower levels of internet development have been progressing at a relatively fast speed.

China has been stepping up efforts to boost the development of the internet and relevant technologies over the past decade.

The size of China's digital economy grew from 11 trillion yuan ($151.07 billion) in 2012 to more than 50.2 trillion yuan in 2022, leading the world in various aspects such as internet applications, the number of internet users, the development of artificial intelligence and many other aspects, Xia Xueping, head of the Chinese Academy of Cyberspace Studies, said on Wednesday at a press conference.

China has also rolled out the world's largest and most advanced 5G high-speed mobile network, with 3.19 million 5G base stations being deployed as of the end of September, a senior official of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said last month.

The nation's internet businesses are booming, with the number of listed internet companies in China rising from about 50 to nearly 160 over the past decade, data showed.

The WIC Wuzhen Summit kicked off in Wuzhen, East China's Zhejiang Province on Wednesday, as 2023 marks the10th anniversary of the summit. Since 2014, it has welcomed nearly 12,000 participants from 172 countries and regions, the Xinhua News Agency reported.