In recent announcements, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China has embarked on a significant mission to revolutionize industrial practices by initiating the construction of pilot cities for "5G + Industrial Internet" applications. This ambitious plan aims to create robust industrial clusters and foster an innovative ecosystem that facilitates the widespread application of 5G technologies in various sectors.China has rapidly developed a substantial number of 5G factories, currently exceeding 4,000, with over 15,000 nationwide projects dedicated to 5G + Industrial Internet. These initiatives have achieved comprehensive coverage across 41 different industrial categories, significantly propelling advancements in high-end manufacturing, intelligence, and eco-friendly practices in the manufacturing sector.According to Liu Wenqing, the Vice President of the China Institute of Industrial Internet, the fusion of 5G and Industrial Internet has emerged as a particularly vibrant domain for innovative applications of 5G technologies. Since the commercial rollout of 5G commenced in 2019, the ministry has actively implemented the "5G + Industrial Internet" plan to further integrate these two domains. “This approach opens up vast opportunities for 5G development while simultaneously providing critical enabling technologies for the industrial internet domain,” Liu remarked.At the helm of this transformation, Vice Minister Zhang Yunming highlighted the strengthening foundational roles of "5G + Industrial Internet" in China’s new-type industrialization process over the past five years. He noted that China has established an extensive network, with nearly 4.1 million 5G base stations and over 40,000 dedicated industry virtual networks, which accelerate the research and promotion of crucial core technologies and industrial-grade 5G products. On the other hand, the development of the industrial internet ecosystem has been a comprehensive effort, resulting in the release of three international standards and over seventy national standards, cultivating more than 340 influential industrial internet platforms, and achieving a staggering registration of over 600 billion identifiers, thus serving more than 450,000 enterprises.Examining practical applications, technological advancements have demonstrated formidable potential across various sectors. As Shanggau Yong, Chief Technology Officer of Inspur Yunzhou Industrial Internet, shared, low-latency, highly reliable 5G networks are paramount in ensuring safety in production, facilitating remote operations, and optimizing warehousing and logistics processes. The significant increase in identifier registrations lays a solid foundation for accelerating the development of industrial internet frameworks.The practical deployment of "5G + Industrial Internet" is witnessing progressive advancements across multiple industries. The ministry is implementing the "Hundred-Thousand" action plan for the establishment of 5G factories, with current figures confirming over 4,000 operational 5G factories. This year, an additional 400 high-standard 5G factories are anticipated to be launched. Focus sectors such as steel production, machinery, electronics, mining, and port facilities are at the forefront of this initiative, cultivating typical application scenarios including smart logistics, machine vision quality inspection, remote equipment control, and unmanned smart inspection processes. Moreover, initiating the construction of pilot cities for "5G + Industrial Internet" aims to establish a strong Chinese brand within this sector.Liu Wenqing also pointed to the establishment of a directory featuring 700 high-standard 5G factories across 39 different industrial sectors, underscoring a buoyant scene of multiple stakeholders, both large and small enterprises, actively engaged in the development of 5G solutions.Simultaneously, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into industrial applications is gaining speed. A visit to the Wuhan Zhongyuan Ocean Shipping Port provides tangible examples of this amalgamation, with containers being meticulously handled by automated cranes and swiftly transferred to unmanned trucks waiting on the shore. Chen Xiaomian, the Manager of Production Operations at Wuhan Zhongyuan Ocean Shipping Port, emphasized the effectiveness of leveraging 5G technology combined with high-speed optical networks and visual recognition technologies to enhance cargo transfer efficiency.As recognized by academic leaders such as Zhou Ji, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the essence of smart manufacturing hinges upon the synergistic integration of "5G + Industrial Internet + Artificial Intelligence." This trifecta is considered paramount within the realm of new infrastructure, propelling modernization efforts across diverse industries.AI technology is heralded as a game-changer, where its applications are driven by computational power, data analysis, and algorithmic innovations. Shanggau Yong envisions that as more flexible manufacturing models and 'dark factories' emerge, the synergy between "5G + Industrial Internet" and AI will further facilitate smart sensing, ubiquitous connectivity, real-time data analysis, and precise control applications, significantly enhancing production efficiency in industrial settings.According to Baidu's founder, Robin Li, artificial intelligence represents a new industrial revolution, with large-scale AI models already generating significant results across sectors such as manufacturing, energy, finance, and public services. He has emphasized the importance of harnessing these AI innovations to empower various industries and boost overall productivity.Innovation is set to evolve comprehensively as the development landscape of "5G + Industrial Internet" transitions from initial explorations to a new stage characterized by high-quality growth and extensive adoption. Liu Wenqing delineates six notable trends emerging in this arena: the evolution of network models from public to dedicated configurations; the shift in product supply from limited quantification and high pricing to abundant availability at lower costs; the expansion of integrated innovation from peripheral applications to core business functions; broadening enterprises’ practices from singular application points to holistic factory integration; evolving partnership models towards collaborative synergy; and moving local developments from isolated attempts to progressive advancements across regions.Looking ahead, Shanggau Yong envisions that "5G + Industrial Internet" will underpin widespread industrial applications. More specialized network products tailored to enterprises are needed alongside continued reductions in the costs of various hardware devices based on 5G technology. These advancements are expected to foster a proliferation of integrated application services that enhance operational capabilities.Among the cities designated as early pilots for the "5G + Industrial Internet" application integration is Wuhan. According to Sheng Yuchun, the Mayor of Wuhan, the number of industrial internet identifiers registered in the city surged from 200 million to an astonishing 23.8 billion. Wuhan also hosts the largest national open-road automated driving demonstration zone, fully equipped with 5G access across diverse scenarios, highlighting the effective implementation of "5G + Industrial Internet" across multiple exemplary applications.In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is set to define guidance for high-quality development in industrial internet, alongside an upgraded implementation plan for the "5G + Industrial Internet" initiative. This aims to enhance infrastructure, technology offerings, integrated applications, and the industrial ecosystem.Vice Minister Zhang Yunming has articulated a clear vision for advancing 5G factory construction across industries, promoting new models and business formats that prioritize tailored customization, refined investments and financing, visual governance, and the merging of industrial internet with safety and sustainability paradigms. Furthermore, leveraging frameworks such as the Belt and Road Initiative and BRICS will enable a multi-tiered and diversified collaborative approach, facilitating the promotion of innovative development solutions rooted in China's industrial internet context.