Smart city construction should focus on services to individuals, said experts on Sunday at a summit during the 2018 World Internet of Things Expo.

The 2018 New Smart City Development Summit was held in Wuxi with experts and entrepreneurs who discussed important components for smart city construction, including systematic innovation, data sharing, sustainable development and green city building.

"A smart city is about building a 'system of systems' and requires institutional and technical 'top-down' design," said Shan Zhiguang, director of the Department of Informatization and Industry Development of the State Information Center.

China is the world's largest smart city practitioner, with a market of 6 trillion yuan ($873 billion) in 2017, and the number is expected to reach 18.7 trillion yuan in 2021, according to the statistics released by the Qianzhan Industry Research Institute.

The 2018 New Smart City Development Summit is held in Wuxi during the 2018 World Internet of Things Expo, Sept 16, 2018. [Photo by Kan Yubing/chinadaily.com.cn]