Tuesday morning, 21 February 2017. At the bustling International Convention Center in Beijing, the Chinese Minister for Industry and Information technology (MIIT) Miao Wei and his deputy minister Chen Zhaoxiong welcomed guests to the second day of the Industrial Internet Summit 2017. Among these guests were partners from Germany. The Secretary General of Plattform Industrie 4.0 Henning Banthien was invited by the MIIT to present the work being carried out by the German network and to take part in a high-level panel discussion.

The Industrial Internet Summit 2017 focused on the digitalisation of industry. This event showed that Germany, the USA and China are dynamically pushing forward digital transformation. Now it is about successfully rolling out and implementing Industry 4.0, including in China. A look at the guest list proved just how important Germany is as a partner for China: in addition to Plattform Industrie 4.0 represented by its Secretary General Henning Banthien, the Industrial Internet Consortium was the only other international organisation present at the main event.

The meeting was organised by the Chinese Ministry for Industry and Information Technology, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology as well as the Chinese Alliance of Industrial Internet. It brought together about 1,000 representatives from politics, civil society and industry. One of the main points that was emphasised during the Summit was research and development of key technologies in the field of the industrial Internet. In addition, possibilities for joint, cross-border action in the areas of standards, IT security and intellectual property rights were discussed. Practical relevance was provided by the Industry 4.0 examples of best practices, which national and international firms presented to the attendees.