A digital workshop in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

Huzhou in East China's Zhejiang province recently unveiled a five-year plan to develop its digital economy.

According to the action plan, the city will strive to increase the proportion of core digital economy industries in its GDP to 7 percent by 2025.

It will also work to ensure that R&D spending of enterprises above designated size in core digital economy industries accounts for 8 percent of their total added value.

By 2025, Huzhou  aims to build 100 smart factories or digital workshops and 100 provincial agricultural factories and achieve 160 billion yuan ($24.6 billion) in online sales.

In addition, the local government will promote 5G coverage, which serves a pivotal role in bolstering the digital economy.

The city also plans to build more than 10,000 5G base stations by 2025.

Official statistics show that the added value of core industries in the digital economy in Huzhou hit 16.43 billion yuan in 2020, with an average annual growth of 12.1 percent in the past three years.

Characteristic industries such as geographical information and electronic components have also gained traction in the city.