Hohhot, capital city of North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, was recently hailed for its role as a key center for the national internet network, with a ceremony held on Jan 15 to mark the achievement.

Bao Gang, vice-chairman of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, said that the city's role is a demonstration of the region's access to the national network, and that Hohhot would be expected to play its role in helping data to flow across the nation, becoming a new "digital port" for information exchange.

He also expressed his intention to take advantage of the city's role by promoting innovation in the IT industry, and by offering supporting services to improve the local investment environment.

Han Xia, chief engineer at the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, extended his congratulations during the ceremony, hailing Hohhot as the first domestic city inhabited by ethnic minorities to gain such an important role in cross-region data flows, forming clusters of IT firms and prompting the economic transition of Inner Mongolia.