Chongqing- The first cross-provincial national cyber security industrial park in China, the National Cybersecurity Industrial Park (Chengdu-Chongqing), was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on May 17, according to the Chongqing Economic and Information Technology Commission.

According to the plan, the MIIT will support policy implementation, project layout, enterprise development, and other aspects. It is expected that Sichuan and Chongqing can strengthen the network security technology innovation and talent training, and create industrial ecology with the new network security services, to build the park into a highland to develop the western network security industry.

Information of cybersecurity industrial park. (iChongqing/ Chen Zhan)

In recent years, the average annual sales revenue of the network security industry in Sichuan and Chongqing has exceeded 100 billion yuan, and more than 300 network security companies have been introduced. Ninety-two innovation centers and laboratories, network attack, defense shooting ranges, and adaptation bases for technology research and application transformation. It has undertaken 163 cybersecurity projects, and more than 50 projects have won awards in national, provincial, and ministerial competitions.

At present, a whole cybersecurity industry chain covering technology research, production, and operation services has been formed, reaching an international first-class level in a wide array of fields, ranging from industrial control security, cryptographic products, electromagnetic protection, and significant data security. 

As early as 2017, China planned a world-class national cybersecurity industrial park to cultivate a 100 billion yuan (15 billion U.S. dollars) cybersecurity industry in Beijing by 2020. Chen Zhaoxiong, the vice-minister of Industry and Information Technology, said the ministry would promote innovation in core technology, especially in the research and development of the industrial Internet, artificial intelligence, and big data.

Sichuan and Chongqing will adhere to the cross-regional coordinated development to create a network security industry ecological layout with distinct characteristics and advantages, vigorously promoting the park's construction. 

On the one hand, the Sichuan Provincial Economic and Information Department will explore supporting policy innovations such as organizational mechanisms, finance, talent cultivation, and achievement transformation. It aims to develop core cybersecurity technologies, build a cybersecurity industry ecosystem, and enhance the supply ability to improve the network security application system.

On the other hand, Chongqing Economic and Information Technology Commission will strengthen coordination and improve the policy system, increasing support in enterprise cultivation, talent introduction, platform construction, and product promotion to expand the market and enhance the driving of application scenarios, accelerating the construction of sound industrial ecology.

(Wang Yuxuan, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)