[Report] Guizhou, the Home of Maotai Liquor in China, Transforms into a Big Data Advanced City

Visited the China International Big Data Industry Expo

Attracting Overseas Companies' Big Data Centers
Cumulative Exchange Amount 400 Million Yuan
Guiyang City Hosts Annual Big Data Industry Expo Since 2016

KOTRA Sets Up Separate Korea Pavilion
15 Korean Companies Including AhnLab Participate

The "2021 China International Big Data Industry Expo" was held at the Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China, under the theme of "Digital Intelligence Transformation and Material Innovation."

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] On the 26th (local time), Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province in southwestern China. Guizhou is famous as the production site of Maotai liquor. It is also known as the most underdeveloped among China's 31 provinces. However, upon entering Guiyang city, the description of it being an underdeveloped area seemed unfitting as skyscrapers formed a forest. The poorest city in China is transforming into a future city. The capital is 'big data,' called the oil of the 21st century.

Big Data: The Top Priority of China's Leadership

Chinese Vice Premier Liu He attended the opening of the '2021 China International Big Data Industry Expo' via video conference and stated, "Big data has a profound impact on global technological innovation, industrial restructuring, and economic and social development," emphasizing the need to accelerate the construction of Digital China.

Vice Premier Liu added, "The Chinese government is actively participating in the establishment of international digital rules," and "hopes that companies worldwide will seize development opportunities in China."

The "2021 China International Big Data Industry Expo" was held at the Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China, under the theme "Digital Intelligence Transformation and Material Innovation." Liu He, Vice Premier of China, delivered the opening speech via video conference.

The Chinese government built big data centers in Guizhou, attracting data centers from Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, Huawei, as well as foreign companies like Apple, Qualcomm, and Foxconn. Subsequently, a big data exchange was also established.

The cumulative amount of big data traded on the Guizhou exchange reached 400 million yuan (approximately 70.1 billion KRW as of July 2019). It is reported that mainly financial data, customer behavior data, and corporate data were traded.

Since 2016, Guiyang has held the International Big Data Industry Expo annually to attract investments from IT companies worldwide. Although the event was canceled last year due to COVID-19, this year it was held both online and offline.

The Chinese government shows special affection for the data industry through this event. Vice Premier Liu emphasized, "President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to the development of the big data industry," highlighting President Xi's deep interest in the industry's growth.

Turning Weaknesses into Strengths: The Big Data City

Located in southwestern China, Guizhou is a mountainous region with an elevation of 1,000 meters and an average annual temperature of about 15 degrees Celsius, making it difficult to find a suitable economic development model.

Ironically, Guizhou's geographical conditions were suitable for fostering the big data industry. It has abundant water resources, including the Huangguoshu Waterfall, known as Asia's largest waterfall, facilitating hydroelectric power generation. Also, the relatively low average annual temperature made it ideal for data centers, which generate significant heat during massive data processing.

Additionally, Guizhou has the lowest risk of earthquakes in China and, being inland, has a low risk of natural disasters such as typhoons, making it perfect for nurturing data centers. Its underdeveloped economy also meant that initial investment costs were relatively low compared to other provinces, which was advantageous.

The "2021 China International Big Data Industry Expo" was held at the Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center in Guiyang City, Guizhou Province, China, under the theme "Digital Intelligence Transformation and Material Innovation." Buyers are exploring the exhibition halls prepared by major companies.

The results have been successful. Last year, Guiyang's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recorded 431.165 billion yuan, an increase of 200 billion yuan in just five years. As of last year, Guiyang's economic growth rate ranked fourth in China. Its per capita GDP also reached 11,000 USD. Back in 2010, Guiyang's GDP was only 113 billion yuan.

KOTRA: The Only Organization with a National Pavilion

KOTRA's Beijing China Regional Headquarters set up a separate Korean Pavilion at this expo to enable online consultations between Korean and Chinese companies.

Shin Jin-yong, Deputy Head of KOTRA's China Regional Headquarters, said, "Due to COVID-19, it was practically impossible for our companies to participate directly in international expos held in China, so we established the Korean Pavilion," adding, "Dedicated staff at KOTRA Beijing IT Support Center conducted initial consultations with Chinese participants, and if detailed technical and product explanations were needed, direct video consultations with Korean companies were arranged."

Lee Kwang-ho, Consul General in Chengdu (second from left), visited the Korea Pavilion at the '2021 Big Data Industry Expo' held at the Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, China, on the 26th, encouraging officials including Shin Jin-yong, Deputy Head of KOTRA Beijing China Regional Headquarters (first from right).

A total of 15 Korean companies participated in this expo, with some companies such as AhnLab, ESE, and Webcash conducting direct consultations with Chinese buyers at the Korean Pavilion.

Lee Hwi, Head of ESE's Beijing Branch, said, "China is leading in big data and artificial intelligence (AI) fields," and added, "A smart city market utilizing big data-related technologies is newly emerging in China."

Ong Geon-nam, Head of Altibase's China Branch, explained, "Although the law has not kept pace with related technologies, limiting explosive growth in big data exchange transactions, the big data application industry is expanding in China, and the security-related industry is also growing."