Happy New Year! Greetings to you all!

The New Year comes again as we say goodbye to the past eventful year.

The world is bidding farewell to 2024, a year that is unusual and turbulent, and embracing the brand-new year 2025. As we are ringing out the old year and usher in the new one, I would, on behalf of World Internet of Things Convention and in my own name, extend my sincere thanks to those leaders from government agencies, international organizations and companies who show concern about and give support to WIOTC and its events. I wish you a happy new year and healthy life!

The previous year was happening amid unstable geopolitics, worsening armed conflicts and changeable international situation, which posed severe challenges to the innovative development of world society and economy and international cooperation. But a round of revolution pertaining to IoT intelligent technology and industrial changes is bringing hope to the world where we are experiencing innovative and technological development. The output of major economies such as USA, China, EU, ASEAN, BRICS and LAS has surpassed 40 trillion US dollars. In particular, China is leading the world in developing digital economy that is intelligently interconnected, and it is home to hundreds of companies with strong capabilities to develop advanced digital economy. At the same time, China is playing a momentous role in fueling global digital economy development, emerging as a power of innovation in the world.

As a non-profit, innovative and non-governmental international organization focusing on the internet of things digital economy and registering its entity information in the database of the United Nations ECOSOC, the World Internet of Things Convention (WIOTC) has organized and convened the World Internet of Things Convention Annual Conference and World IoT Top 500 Summit for 9 years in a row. We have published the world’ first White Paper on the Intelligently Interconnected Digital Economy, introduced the solution to building the intelligently interconnected global market of digital economy and shaped a batch of global model companies specialized in developing the “intelligently interconnected” digital economy. This is a kind of contribution that we are making to promoting the innovative development of digital economy. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent message to the World Internet of Things Convention 2024 again despite his very busy schedules and commitments.

The year 2025 will be a year full of great changes in global economy and society. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of World Internet of Things Convention. We will shape a batch of model or demonstration cities and companies of digital economy and issue the World IoT Ranking List Top 500, aiming at providing guidance for economic growth, technological innovation and industrial changes in the world. We are confident to believe that the world with geopolitical conflicts is expected to give way to a fully connected and intelligently interconnected world.

In closing, let me take this opportunity to invite government agencies, international organizations, companies and scientific and technological institutions to participate in the World Internet of Things Convention 2025. Let’s work together to push for the innovative development of the intelligently interconnected digital economy to write a new chapter in 2025! Let’s join hands to advance cooperation, support each other and make common progress in an effort to build a better planet!

HE Xuming

Chairman of WIOTC Executive Committee

December 31, 2024