Learning keywords is one of the best ways to keep abreast of the latest developments in a country. The China Academy of Translation, a research institute affiliated with the China International Publishing Group, the country's leading international publisher, regularly analyzes prevailing Chinese terms in various sectors and translates them into a number of foreign languages ranging from English to Arabic. In each issue, Beijing Review presents a selection of these keywords to help readers know more about China.

The national big data strategy

Big data can be characterized by the huge volume, the wide variety, the extreme velocity at which data are processed, and the high value that big data technologies can create.

The need for such a strategy underscores the increasing importance of big data as a strategic asset for China's development agenda. The strategy calls for exploring the potential of big data technologies to boost economic growth, and improve governance at all levels, as well as government services and regulation.

This move will enable the Chinese Government to switch from an authority-based approach to governance to a data-based approach. It will not only create a higher level of interaction with the public, but also enhance the ability of the government to respond to exigencies and solve problems with the aid of smart data technologies. The implementation of this strategy is also expected to accelerate big data-related core technology research, development and application, so as to enhance China's national competitiveness and pave the way for future development.

A new path to urbanization

Never in history has a developing country as large as China, with a population of 1.3 billion attempted to engineer a carefully managed urbanization. China can no longer follow the beaten track of inefficient and blinkered development relying on borrowed money that damages the environment and results in an imbalance between the needs of the population and land resources. That path will lead the country nowhere. At this crossroads, China must take a new path to urbanization in the right direction.

The new urbanization drive is a choice that meets China's development imperatives and enables the country to make the best use of the opportunities available to bring assured success to this process.

Emphasis should be put on achieving the best results of urbanization. A people-centered approach is indispensable. Appropriate plans should be worked out to ensure that towns and cities of all sizes complement each other with well-defined functions for coordinated development. Eco-friendly measures will be effectively implemented in China's push for green, circular and low-carbon development. Special care must be taken to preserve traditional culture in the effort to redevelop cities and towns with historical landmarks and local or ethnic features.

Made in China 2025

On May 8, 2015, China's State Council unveiled its first 10-year national plan for transforming China's manufacturing, titled "Made in China 2025." The plan is designed to put China on a new path to industrialization, with greater emphasis on innovation, expanded use of new-generation information technology, intelligent manufacturing, consolidation of the industrial base, integration of industrial processes and systems, and a robust multilayer talent development structure. Measures taken in this respect will facilitate China's transformation from a manufacturing giant with a focus on quantity to one with a qualitative edge.

Specifically, the 10-year plan envisions the successful completion by 2020 of the process of basic industrialization, further consolidating China's position as a manufacturing powerhouse that increasingly relies on cutting-edge information technology. It also foresees a significant leap in China's overall manufacturing capability by 2025, characterized by markedly reinforced innovative ability, greatly improved overall productivity, and a new level of integration of industrial processes and information technology.

The implementation of the plan will expand the scope for cooperation between China and the rest of the world in a joint effort to achieve new progress in the global manufacturing sector.

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