Xiaoshan district, Hangzhou is focusing on innovation and digital transformation to boost the manufacturing industry more than ever before. [Photo/zjcio.org]

Xiaoshan district in Hangzhou has long been reliant on the manufacturing industry, and it is now focusing on innovation and digital transformation to boost the industry more than ever before, said Tong Guili, Party chief of Xiaoshan, at the 5th China Industrial Data Conference in Hangzhou.

In recent years, Xiaoshan has been striving to realize high-end development in the manufacturing industry and become a new industrial hub.

It plans to set aside 667 hectares of land for industrial use and raise more than 100 billion yuan ($15.32 billion) for digitalized industrial transformation and upgrading.

It is also bringing in research institutes affiliated with renowned domestic universities and creating various industry-university-research cooperation opportunities to train and educate professional talent.

Statistics show that 85 percent of enterprises above a designated size (annual revenue at 20 million yuan and above) have achieved digitalized transformation, over 16,000 companies have their data connected to the cloud, the proportion of investment on research and development in regional GDP has grown 1 percentage point higher than two years ago, and the added value of the district's digital economy is growing faster than any other district, county or county-level city administered by Hangzhou.