At the World Internet of Things Convention 2024 taking place on November 3, 2024 in Beijing, the first White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy was officially released, which caused a hit across the society. Media channels including China Central Television (CCTV), China Global Television Network (CGTN), Phoenix TV as well as other media sources covered or collected news about this event and the white paper. “China ranks first in the world in IoT construction and the innovative development of digital economy” – becoming a trending topic online, which has attracted attention from various organizations, thinktanks and enterprises. Based on the feedbacks and needs from the society, we hereby provide the statements as follows:

Across various revolutions happening in human society, including Agricultural Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Information Revolution, each revolution will create social progress and bring enormous changes to people’s lives. Today’s world is witnessing a blooming period of information technology represented by the internet, which coincides with changes unseen in a century in the world. The internet of things digital economy is emerging as a driver for another revolution.

What is this revolution? Where does the world go to grow economy and society? How will governments and companies around the world make the development strategy? How can we grasp the strategic opportunities of developing the intelligently interconnected digital economy so as to share the sizable cake of a global market with such digital economy? How do we bring our insights to the world to promote peace and common development? The White paper gives the answers.

As a non-governmental international organization focusing on the internet of things digital economy, the World Internet of Things Convention has registered its entity information in the database of the United Nations ECOSOC.  In order to provide guidance for the upgrading of digital economy, support governments and enterprises around the world in their development strategy of digital economy and deliver benefits to people in terms of smart life, we have therefore compiled the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy based on ten years of investigation and research, in line with the spirits of the Summit of the Future, Global Digital Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals and by proceeding from world economic and social development and adopting a global vision and perspective. It relates to the thought of internet of things representing the fourth revolution and encapsulates the theoretical foundation of wisdom revolution, the intelligently interconnected digital economy model and the solution of building the intelligently interconnected global market. The White Paper explains the direction and theoretical foundation of innovative development of the intelligently interconnected digital economy supported by the internet of things and includes the cognition and definition of the intelligently interconnected digital economy, the model of advanced digital economy, the building of the intelligently interconnected global market of digital economy as well as the formulation of standards of such kind of economy and the path of its sustainable development. It puts forwards a 17-sector industrial ecosystem related to the above-mentioned digital economy, which is made up of industry, agriculture, energy, logistics and warehousing, artificial intelligence, finance and insurance, smart city, public life, healthcare, transportation and intelligent connected vehicles, military technology, education and tourism, public administration, aerospace, and environmental protection, etc. All these sectors contribute to our thoughts and explorations of application of an intelligently interconnected global market of digital economy worth a hundred trillion or hundreds of trillions. It aims to call for efforts to work together to build the global market of such digital economy, support the building of a community of shared future for mankind and help as we can to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals.

The White Paper is written with the aim of play a guiding role in promoting the development and progress of human society and working with stakeholders to build the intelligently interconnected global market of digital economy. It is also a global solution to building a community of shared future for mankind. In addition, the white paper sums up such ideas as transition of internet to the internet of things, the upgrading of IoT development through the transition of a fully connected pattern to an intelligently interconnected model and the upgrading direction of traditional economy to an advanced digital economy and its development path, all of which are of importance to the change of human society from information revolution to smart or wisdom revolution. It can possibly provide a reference for the strategy of IoT development among countries and the transition of global enterprises to an intelligently interconnected digital economy path.

What is worth noticing that the White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy is born when human society is experiencing rapid advancements in intelligent information and network technology. This era is also marked by significant transformations in the global economic, social, and political landscapes. Despite the impact of geopolitical tensions and de-globalization, major economies worldwide continue to promote innovative development in infrastructure, products, and technology of the intelligently interconnected digital economy at a relatively rapid pace. Some countries may be slow to obtain information and data, and differing perceptions of the intelligently interconnected digital economy among countries could lead to gaps among them. Therefore, we may have some omissions in this White Paper, but we will update it based on the latest economic and social developments across different countries.

The principal author is Mr. He Xuming, the Founder and Executive Chairman of WIOTC. Insights in this White Paper also come from academicians such as Mr. Li Bohu and Mr. Wu Hequan, and experts from international organizations, as well as the Advisory Committee, the Presidium, and the Secretariat of WIOTC.

We warmly welcome government agencies, international organizations, enterprises, and scholars worldwide to join us to revise and update this White Paper. We are also delighted to see feedbacks on more advanced perspectives regarding the intelligently interconnected digital economy and suggestions for sustainable development. Additionally, we encourage government agencies around the world to apply for joining the Presidium of the World Internet of Things Convention and collaborate with us for formulating an international “convention” on the intelligently interconnected digital economy, thus delivering benefits to the people in terms of smart life and work in the world.