Feature by Alexander Ayertey Odonkor
Accra, March 9, GNA – In the latter part of April 2023, a scientific research team in China successfully completed the country’s first full-scale superconducting test of an ultra-high-speed magnetic levitation (maglev) train.
Combining maglev technology with low-vacuum technology, the train, which will become the fastest means of land transport once completed, will be able to run at up to 1,000 kilometers per hour.
Home to by far the largest high-speed rail network in the world – with 155,000 km of railway lines in operation, including 42,000 km of high-speed lines as of the end of 2022, the addition of ultra-high-speed magnetic trains to China’s rail network. it will cut travel time for people and cargo – improve economic efficiency and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions – promoting the harmonious coexistence of people and nature, the foundation of Chinese modernization.
In the country’s pursuit of modernization, therefore, Chinese modernization, a unique development path for more than 1.4 billion people – with the priority of common prosperity for all and the promotion of peaceful coexistence of humanity and the natural environment.
China is increasingly leveraging cutting-edge technologies, including high-speed railways and the Internet of Things for development – these tools were central to the concerted efforts dedicated to achieving the first centenary goal – ensuring that the country’s development improved the lives of of people.
By the end of 2020, exactly 10 years since China became the world’s second largest economy, the Asian giant succeeded in using its rapid economic growth to eradicate extreme poverty for the first time in its history.
China’s economic rise has lifted nearly 800 million people out of poverty and improved the living standards of its people.
Amazingly, this extraordinary achievement, which is also a first in human history, took place 10 years ahead of the poverty eradication target set by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development – a remarkable achievement, driven in part by cutting-edge technological solutions .
From the widespread adoption of the Internet of Things, high-speed rail, machine learning, drones, electric batteries, photovoltaics to many other technologies, which are now dominated by China, these cutting-edge technologies have increasingly accelerated the social, economic and environmental progress of the country.
These boost efficiency and improve productivity in various sectors, including transport, agriculture, healthcare, ICT and energy. and mitigating inequality, promoting inclusive growth and protecting biodiversity.
All of these contributed significantly to building a moderately prosperous society by 2021 – successfully achieving the first centenary goal.
To capitalize on this development, China under the strong leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) embarked on a new journey, the second goal of the centenary – once again, harnessing cutting-edge technologies to build China into a great modern socialist country in every aspect and to promote its renewal on all fronts by 2049.
One of the key sectors currently driving China’s growth towards this goal is the mobile phone industry.
As the world’s largest 5G market, it accounted for more than 60 percent of global 5G connections by the end of 2022 (exceeding 2.3 million 5G base stations). China’s mobile phone industry has delivered colossal social, economic and environmental gains – increasingly integrating communities across the length and breadth of the country – connecting production and consumption in rural and urban areas.
There has been a profound transformational change, which promotes rural revitalization and at the same time spurs development in urban settlements, thus further driving Chinese modernization, with greater impact expected in the coming years.
By the end of 2022, nearly 1.3 billion people in China had subscribed to a mobile phone service. That year, mobile technologies and services contributed $1.1 trillion in economic value to the Chinese economy, accounting for 5.5 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
China is predicted by the latest GSMA report (2023) to be the first market to reach one billion 5G connections by 2025, accounting for nearly a third of total global connections by 2030.
This will lead to rapid mobile connectivity, which will ultimately support future innovation and mobile services – capitalizing on current growth and adoption will likely boost the country’s social, environmental and economic development.
Currently, China’s increased mobile connectivity has a huge impact on the Sustainable Development Goals.
Recent analysis shows that despite the daunting challenges posed by COVID-19, SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation and infrastructure) scored the highest in 2021, largely due to rapid internet adoption for mobiles and the increasing use of mobile-enabled services.
In the case of SDG 6, the widespread adoption of mobile technologies such as the internet of things and artificial intelligence have improved the capabilities of communication and payment channels that provide water and sanitation services. With just a smartphone, people in urban and rural areas in China have instant access to utilities and other public services, including education and healthcare – in fact, the mobile phone industry is increasingly facilitating logistics for the SDGs .
For SDG 9 in China, one of the two highest-scoring SDGs in recent years, the mobile industry has been a pillar in building resilient infrastructure, promoting innovation, inclusiveness and sustainable industrialization.
For example, China Mobile, which has built 1.28 million 5G base stations, provides digital services to more than 20 million small and medium enterprises and information technology products.
In 2022, China Mobile helped five million SMEs go digital in China – enabling these businesses to access new and larger markets, boost innovation and productivity, and promote inclusive growth.
So far, China’s increased mobile connectivity has had a huge positive impact on the SDGs, but there is still room for improvement.
To accelerate China’s development to achieve the second centenary goal by 2049, it is up to policymakers to implement German policies to promote innovative and new technologies in key sectors such as energy, agriculture, healthcare and transfers.
For example, plans to adapt about 20 percent of university departments in China by 2025 – introducing majors focused on cutting-edge technologies and new industries and eliminating departments unsuitable for socio-economic development is a step in the right direction .
Such actions will make available the sufficient human capital needed to create innovative and cutting-edge technologies to further advance Chinese modernization.
GNA
Alexander Ayertey Odonkor: The author is a global economist with a keen interest in the social, environmental and economic landscape of developed countries, emerging markets and developing economies, particularly in Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe and North America.