Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, General Secretary Xi Jinping has attached great importance to the construction of “Digital China” and has repeatedly talked at important occasions about the importance of “Digital China.” We have specially selected the following eight sentences by General Secretary Xi Jinping on “Digital China” for the benefit of our readers.
党的十八大以来，习近平总书记高度重视“数字中国”建设，多次在重要场合谈及“数字中国”的重要性。以下特别梳理了习近平总书记提及“数字中国”的8句话，以飨读者。
New Media Magazine, Cyberspace Administration of China, May 07, 2019
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) published an article titled, Eight Sentences by Xi Jinping to Help you Understand “Digital China” (习近平的8句话，带你读懂“数字中国”), in its periodic magazine New Media (网络传播) on May 07, 2019. CAC rebranded New Media as China Cyberspace (中国网信) earlier this year. Since the article (actually a teaching graphic) has not been available at its original link for some time (it is floating around in various forms elsewhere, albeit in shrinking numbers), I thought it would be worthwhile to translate the entire article (for continuity), and in two parts (for brevity).
For those of you who are just starting to look at this sort of material, please remember that this is Xi Jinping, the Communist Party’s “core” leader, speaking – some years ago – in elite domestic and international forums on the party’s comprehensive national drive to digitize, informatize, and intelligentize the entire nation. It is absolutely unprecedented for any world leader (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) to speak in these sorts of terms, although JFK calling for a man on the moon might be an analogy. Think about that for a second. Did we miss a signal?
Here are the second four of Xi’s “eight sentences.” Pay particular attention to “Five” and “Six.” As we shall see in future posts, they became a rich source of new specialized Communist Party terms-of-art (提法) regarding Digital China.
Five:
Accelerating the construction of Digital China is to adapt to the new historical orientation of our country’s development, to fully implement the New Development Concept, cultivate new momentum through informatization, promote new development with new momentum, and create new brilliance with new development.
加快数字中国建设，就是要适应我国发展新的历史方位，全面贯彻新发展理念，以信息化培育新动能，用新动能推动新发展，以新发展创造新辉煌。
Xi Jinping, Congratulatory Letter to the First Digital China Summit, April 22, 2018
Six:
With the theme of “Driving Modernization Through Informatization, Accelerate Building Digital China,” this summit will showcase the latest achievements in the development of our country’s e-government and digital economy. You will exchange experiences and views on the construction of Digital China, and further build consensus, which will surely stimulate the enthusiasm, initiative, and creativity of all sectors of society on Building Digital China and on promoting informatization to better benefit society and the people.
本届峰会以“以信息化驱动现代化，加快建设数字中国”为主题，展示我国电子政务和数字经济发展最新成果，交流数字中国建设体会和看法，进一步凝聚共识，必将激发社会各界建设数字中国的积极性、主动性、创造性，推动信息化更好造福社会、造福人民。
Xi Jinping, Congratulatory Letter to the First Digital China Summit, April 22, 2018
Seven:
We adhere to the development concept of innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing. We focus on building Cyber Great Power, Digital China, and Smart Society. And we fully implement the National Big Data Strategy. [We do all of this] to help China’s economy shift from high speed growth to High Quality Development.
我们秉持创新、协调、绿色、开放、共享的发展理念，围绕建设网络强国、数字中国、智慧社会，全面实施国家大数据战略，助力中国经济从高速增长转向高质量发展。
Xi Jinping, Congratulatory Letter to the 2018 China International Big Data Industry Expo, May 26, 2018
Eight:
China is vigorously building “Digital China” and has recorded a number of innovative achievements in fields such as “Internet Plus” and Artificial Intelligence. New technologies, new formats, and new models such as a sharing economy, online retail, and mobile payment are continuously emerging and profoundly changing the lives of the Chinese people.
中国正在大力建设“数字中国”，在“互联网+”、人工智能等领域收获一批创新成果。分享经济、网络零售、移动支付等新技术新业态新模式不断涌现，深刻改变了中国老百姓生活。
Xi Jinping, Speech at the 2018 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, November 18, 2018
