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【中国日报】Expert predicts rapid arrival of 'true smart city'

发布日期:2019-08-21 11:01 来源:中国日报 分享到:
  • 中国日报2019年08月19日第07版报道:

    David Gosset, founder of the Europe-China Forum, author of Limited Views on the Chinese Renaissance (2018) and a winner of the 2015 Tianjin Friendship Award, spoke recently with China Daily about his views on the city's rapiddevelopment.

    What do you think of the city's high-quality development and its growth momentum?

    Of course growth is necessary and the Tianjin economy is growing. But the question is what kind of growth? Tianjin has decided to focus on qualitative growth, on sustainable growth. I thinkthis is a wise decision.

    And the GDP per capita is also a significant indicator. After Beijing and Shanghai, Tianjin ranks third with a GDP per capita of more than $17,000 in 2018.

    I would also like people to look at the Human Development Index which takes into account life expectancy, education and GDP per capita. In 2017 the United Nations Development Program ranked Tianjin in the "very high human development" category, very close to the levels of Beijing, Taiwan and Shanghai.

    What do you think of the city's robust development in the intelligent manufacturing sector?

    Tianjin has been a key factor in the industrialization of China in the 20th century. Over the past 100 years, in the south of China, Shanghai has been at the forefront of the country's modernization. But the role of Tianjin has been absolutely crucial for the vast territory of northern China.

    While the world is going through the fourth industrial revolution, Tianjin sees itself as an engine for intelligent manufacturing. This is the right vision, and that vision is already a reality. If you connect all the dots, you observe that Tianjin is on the path of gradually becoming a 'smart city'. Each time I visit Tianjin, I learn about new developments in the application of artificial intelligence and this is of the highest significance.

    Cars are assembled in a factory in the Tianjin Economic Development Zone. Photo provided to China Daily

    Could you enlighten us on how the city could utilize its advantages in intelligent manufacturing to become part of a 'smart' Belt and Road Initiative?

    I am happy that you mention the notion of a 'smart' Belt and Road. Smart here means the combination of technology and the imperative of sustainability.

    Tianjin is a port which has trade links with more than 180 countries and regions. It means that Tianjin is not only a production base, but also a transportation hub.

    By upgrading its manufacturing and logistics systems, Tianjin will become the catalyst for the construction of a smart belt and road.

    Binhai New Area has been the economic engine of Tianjin over the past 10 years. Could you give some advice for its development over the next 10 years?

    Binhai New Area has achieved a lot. But in line with what we are discussing, the next decade will be marked by the impact of digital technology on industrial production.

    Two major elements will determine the future of Binhai.

    First, the capacity to adopt not only the most advanced technology, but also to contribute to technological innovation.

    I am optimistic because one of the many strengths of Tianjin is the quality of the local universities.

    As a visiting professor at Nankai University, I have had the privilege to interact with Tianjin's young talent. I know that they want Tianjin to succeed, I know that they want Tianjin to be open to the world, I know that they want Tianjin to innovate, so Tianjin's progress will continue to surprise us.

    I want to share with you a story. I had a great chance to meet the former prime minister of Italy, Romano Prodi. He came to China for the first time in the 1980s.

    As the president of the Institute for Industrial Reconstruction, known in Italian as IRI, he coordinated an industrial project in Tianjin. It was the predecessor of Tianjin Pipe Corporation, now the largest seamless steel-pipe maker in China and one of the largest in the world. IRI had a similar project in the Soviet Union. Although the project in the USSR(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) began construction before the project in Tianjin, the plant in Tianjin was completed well before the USSR project.

    I shared this story with you because I know it had a deep impact on Prodi's perception of China.

    This story is revealing. In Tianjin, in China, the speed of change is unique. And, yes, Tianjin might become a true smart city much faster than people think.


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