The Ministry of Commerce has recently unveiled the roster for its national digital trade demonstration zones, with 24 entities from across the country making the cut, and the Dalian High-tech Industrial Zone has clinched a coveted place on this list.
According to reports, the Ministry of Commerce kicked off the initiative back in April, aiming to nurture a batch of digital trade platforms distinguished by their strong reform awareness, standout innovation capabilities, vibrant new business models, and notable clustering of high-end industries. The goal is to cultivate a diversified digital trade ecosystem and sharpen the international competitiveness of China's digital trade sector.
As one of the earliest regions nationwide to focus on the software and IT services industry, the Dalian High-tech Zone has earned titles such as "National Software Industry Base," "National Innovative Software Industry Cluster," and "National Software Export Base." It stands as the country's first and the Northeast's sole National Digital Service Export Base. The zone is home to 180 large-scale software and information service enterprises, accounting for 90% of the city's total, with the core digital economy industry's added value making up roughly 45% of its GDP.
The zone has built a service outsourcing network that spans Northeast Asia, North America, and Europe. In 2025, its offshore contract execution value for service outsourcing is projected at about $2 billion, representing over 50% of the total across the three northeastern provinces.
The Dalian High-tech Zone is stepping up its push for digital trade reform and innovation, steering toward four key directions: artificial intelligence, connected vehicles, industrial internet, and big data. It has rolled out the "Several Policies for Promoting High-Quality Data Industry Development (Trial)," offering policy backing in areas like data circulation infrastructure, technological innovation, and talent development.
The zone is also building the Dalian Data Annotation Industrial Park, which zeroes in on intelligent driving, healthcare, and embodied intelligence, creating a public service framework that merges smart annotation, computing power support, and industry services. So far, 21 companies have set up shop there. Additionally, the Dalian Industrial Software Innovation and Development Research Institute has been established, focusing on CAD, CAE, CAM, and PLM to build a complete open-source industrial software service system, fueling the transformation and upgrade of Dalian's software sector.
Deepening "vehicle-road-cloud-network-map" technological innovation, the zone is nurturing and attracting product-oriented software firms in areas like intelligent cockpits, in-vehicle operating systems, and smart mobility cloud data. Six of the top 10 intelligent cockpit suppliers nationwide have already established operations in Dalian. The zone has pioneered the "Connected Vehicle Enterprise Evaluation Specification" in China, systematically forming an ecosystem loop of "planning guidance, policy backing, and standard assurance," injecting a robust institutional engine for industry escalation. Its "Building a Connected Vehicle Industry Ecosystem" innovation case has been included in the "China Digital Trade Development Report 2025."
A representative from the municipal commerce bureau noted that leveraging the inclusion of the Dalian High-tech Zone on the national digital trade demonstration list, the city will deepen openness and innovation in digital trade, nurture competitive enterprises, and refine the industry ecosystem. By zeroing in on specific digital trade segments, Dalian aims to develop replicable and scalable innovative practices, steadily broaden the scale of its digital trade, boost competitiveness, and play a leading role in the region's digital economy opening and development.