Leaders plan to retain industry dominance by focusing on IoT, big data, Chen Hong reports from Wuxi.

The government of Wuxi, a long-time manufacturing hub in East China's Jiangsu province, has encouraged local manufacturers to improve their efficiency by upgrading with internet of things technologies.

"Manufacturing was important in the history of Wuxi, which turned a small farming county into a metropolis. Now, our strategy is to keep the dominance of the industry as an impetus to drive forward the economic development of the city," said Li Xiaomin, Party chief of Wuxi, during a new-generation manufacturing conference in June.

Clockwise from top: Wuxi has developed into one of the economic hubs in Jiangsu province thanks to its booming emerging and traditional industries. An automated production line at a vehicle production plant in the city. The local manufacturing industry has gained impetus with the use of new technologies. A highly automated textile factory in Wuxi. Photos Provided to China Daily

Official figures show that last year, the manufacturing industry accounted for 43.3 percent of the city's total GDP, which amounted 1.05 trillion yuan ($153 billion), ranking Wuxi the 13th among Chinese mainland cities.

It also contributes at least 96 percent of the city's industrial added-value and 52.6 percent of the tax revenue, the figures indicate.

"The manufacturing sector should be integrated profoundly with IoT, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to get smarter," Li stressed.