Tianjin's spate of headline-grabbing announcements is not a coincidence, but is evidence that the city－the only in the country with approval to be a pilot zone for both the application of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Vehicles－has made great strides in the intelligent manufacturing sector, and the strategies it has pursued in recent years, like using its manufacturing industry as an industrial backbone, are paying off.

In a speech delivered at the recently concluded WIC, Li Hongzhong, Tianjin Party chief, said: "In the last five years, the city's intelligent manufacturing industries have taken shape. A cluster of intelligent technologies including big data, cloud computing, IoVs and an optimized ecology based on the Phytium CPU and supercomputing system, have empowered local industries as well as benefited people.

"We are taking intelligent technology as our spearhead and emerging industries as our pillars to boost the convergence of the digital and real economies," he said.

Statistics indicate that last year, industrial added value and the added value of the manufacturing industry accounted for one-third and 24.1 percent of Tianjin's GDP, respectively.

Since 2017, the manufacturing industry has accounted for over 70 percent of total industrial revenues generated by companies with revenues over 20 million yuan. "Tianjin is the largest open coastal city in North China with a solid foundation in the manufacturing industry, and obvious advantages in terms of resident talent, a science and technology base and policies. It has strong industrial service capabilities," said Zhang Gong, mayor of Tianjin.

The national strategy for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area has given Tianjin a functional position as "one base and three districts".

Currently focused on building a leading national manufacturing research and development center, the city is striving to consolidate and strengthen its advantages in intelligent technology and innovative industries, and create a new generation national AI innovation and development pilot zone.