Artificial intelligence was the central focus of the eighth Digital China Summit, which opened on April 29 in Fuzhou, Fujian province, under the theme "25 Years of Endeavor, a New Chapter of Digital China: Intelligence Leads High-Quality Development."

The Newland Group exhibition booth at the eighth Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, Fujian province, April 29, 2025. [Photo courtesy of Newland Group]

Fujian Guotong Xingyi, a digital payment solutions provider, showcased its advancements in AI algorithm research and scenario-based innovation at the summit, underscoring its role in driving digital transformation across global physical commerce. The company presented a range of smart, payment-focused solutions for the dining, retail, agriculture and cultural tourism sectors.

At the company's exhibition booth, a representative said small- and medium-sized brick-and-mortar merchants are a crucial part of China's real economy and benefit substantially from innovative digital services. With solutions such as AI-powered point-of-sale systems, the company offers comprehensive digital payment support for QR codes, cards, the digital yuan and cross-border payments.

Newland Group, the parent company of Guotong Xingyi, has integrated AI across its commercial operations, supporting digital transformation for traditional businesses through customized solutions. Demonstrations at the event included virtual reality panoramic guides, augmented reality digital avatars and AI-powered self-checkout systems, aimed at helping merchants increase payment efficiency and streamline store operations.

In 2024, Newland integrated leading AI platforms, such as DeepSeek and iFlytek, into its commercial technology infrastructure using API interfaces. The company is partnering with major AI model developers to enhance performance and is developing compact, high-quality algorithms using data distillation techniques.

At the summit exhibition, Newland highlighted its digital human and AI ecosystem, which features interactive avatars, digital human clones, presentation hosts, conference moderators and video production tools. These solutions allow for natural conversations powered by large AI models and can be customized for a range of business scenarios. The rollout signals Newland's ongoing efforts to expand AI applications across a variety of industries.

A visitor interacts with a humanoid robot in the experience area at the eighth Digital China Summit in Fuzhou, Fujian province, April 28, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

The eighth Digital China Summit in Fuzhou highlighted China's advancements in artificial intelligence with cutting-edge exhibits from leading enterprises, featuring innovations ranging from large language models to humanoid robots. Major participants, including China Telecom, China Mobile, Alibaba and iFlytek, demonstrated AI applications across government services, health care, marine communications, elder care and translation.

The summit, held April 29-30, was co-hosted by the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Data Administration, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the Fujian Provincial People's Government.

The event unveiled more than 70 achievements, including the Digital China Development Report 2024, and featured new technologies, services and products, more than 65% of which made their public debut. More than 400 organizations and businesses took part.

Over the past seven years, the summit has paved the way for implementing at least 3,000 digital economy projects in the province, representing a total investment of more than 1.8 trillion yuan ($247 billion).