A staff member displays a smart mirror at the China International Digital Economy Expo 2021 in Shijiazhuang, North China's Hebei province, Sept 7, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's State Council on Jan 12 unveiled a plan to further promote the development of the digital economy during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), which is also the first national-level special plan on the digital economy. Here are some highlights from the guideline:

Key numbers:

- By 2025, the added value of the core industries in the digital economy is expected to account for 10 percent of GDP, up from 7.8 percent in 2020.

- The number of users of the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) based services is expected to hit 800 million by 2025, compared to 460 million in 2020.

- The number of China's gigabit broadband users is expected to jump from 6.4 million in 2020 to 60 million in 2025.

- The size of the software and information technology service sector is expected to grow from 8.16 trillion yuan in 2020 to 14 trillion yuan in 2025.

- Online retail sales and the size of e-commerce is expected to be 17 trillion yuan and 46 trillion yuan in 2025.

- The penetration rate of industrial internet platform application is expected to jump from 14.7 percent in 2020 to 45 percent in 2025.

A correspondent views a 3D display product at the Smart China Expo 2021 in Chongqing, Southwest China, Aug 22, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The plan also details key tasks in eight areas:

- Optimizing and upgrading digital infrastructure

- Giving full play to the role of data elements

- Moving forward digital transformation of industries

- Speeding up the digital industrialization

- Enhancing the digitization of public services

- Setting up a sound digital economy governance system

- Strengthening the security system of the digital economy

- Expanding international cooperation on the digital economy