The digital economy has become a pivotal engine of the economy in Zhejiang province, with the sector embracing opportunities arising from technological innovation and industrial transformation, government officials and experts said on Wednesday.

The digital economy is one of the keys to advance high-quality development in Zhejiang. In 2020, the added value of core industries in Zhejiang's digital economy reached 701.99 billion yuan ($109.97 billion), increasing by 13 percent and accounting for 10.9 percent of Zhejiang's GDP.

The total amount of Zhejiang's digital trade hit 433.4 billion yuan ($67.89 billion), an annual increase of more than 20 percent. The total amount, proportion and growth rate of Zhejiang's digital economy ranks among the top four in the country, according to Zhu Congjiu, vice-governor of Zhejiang, while addressing a news conference of the First 2021 Global Digital Trade Expo, slated to be held between Dec 6 and Dec 9 in Hangzhou.

At present, about 70 percent of the 80,000-square-meter exhibition area, which has 7 exhibition halls, has been filled.

It is expected to lure 150,000 visitors from related fields such as digital consumption, digital technology, cross-border e-commerce and logistics.

The Global Digital Trade Expo features an expo, an exhibition, a summit, an online platform and a series of activities for participants to experience digital consumption.

DAS-Security, a Hangzhou-based cybersecurity enterprise attending the expo, said it will showcase its leading network information security services there.

"We hope to take this opportunity to display our products, platforms and technologies to better facilitate cross-border trade through cybersecurity products and services," Liu Bo, senior vice-president and chief scientist of DAS-Security, told China Daily.

The event is co-sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and the People's Government of Zhejiang.