The 2019 World Internet of Things Expo opens in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, on Sept 7. [Photo/WIoT News Center]

The 2019 World Internet of Things Expo opened in Wuxi, East China's Jiangsu province, on Saturday. This year's event revolves around integrated innovation and intelligent connectivity.

The event consists of a summit and 10 other industry forums, and has an exhibition area of 60,000 square meters, the largest in the past decade. A total of 542 companies from 30 countries and regions, 37 of which are Fortune 500 companies, are attending the expo.

The latest IoT applications in integrated circuits, urban planning, health, and education will be showcased at the event. As 2019 marks the official beginning of the commercialization of 5G, industry leaders will also demonstrate and discuss the use of IoT with 5G technology.

Wuxi's IoT industry was valued at 263.8 billion yuan ($37 billion) in 2018, making up half of Jiangsu province's total IoT output. The city is home to more than 2,000 IoT companies specializing in chips, sensors, and communications.

Wuxi Party Secretary Li Xiaomin said at the opening ceremony on Saturday that Wuxi is the national leader in industrial IoT platforms and internet of vehicles. The city's thriving IoT industry has accelerated its industrial development, which in turn has given a boost to Wuxi's strategic emerging and high-tech industries. 

Wang Zhijun, vice-minister of industry and information technology, suggested that efforts should be made to develop chips, sensors, and smart information processing and that research results in the IoT sector should be applied in more situations. He also said that policies and regulations should be improved so that industries can coordinate more efficiently.