Li Qiang, Party secretary of Jiangsu province, speaks at the 2016 WIOT Wuxi Summit on Oct 31. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Senior professionals from across the global Internet of things (IoT) industry gathered in Wuxi, Jiangsu province for the 2016 WIOT Wuxi Summit on Oct 31.

A key part of this year's World Internet of Things Exposition taking place in Wuxi from Oct 30 to Nov 1, the summit featured a high-profile line-up of speakers, including leaders from Microsoft, Alibaba, the European Commission, International Telecommunications Union and International Organization of Standardization, as well as the Party secretaries of Jiangsu province and Wuxi.

Jiangsu Party Secretary Li Qiang pointed out the wide-ranging influence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology on modern life. He said that he considered IoT an important tool to promote the transformation of Jiangsu's economy, and said that the province can build a world-leading IoT hub thanks to its advantages of strong demand and good foundations in the region.

He also urged local officials to work together to create a better development environment for IoT by providing stronger political support, improving public services, and attracting more talented personnel.

Li Xiaomin, Wuxi's Party secretary, introduced the city's achievements in the IoT sector over the past few years. He hoped that the expo can serve as an international platform for the IoT industry to discuss the latest innovations, publish development trends, display innovative technologies and products, and attract investment. He also expected the event to help enhance exchange and cooperation among IoT companies from around the world.

The World Internet of Things Exposition, jointly hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology and Jiangsu Provincial People's Government, is the largest event of its kind in China.

This year's event carries the theme of "Create IoT Era, Share Global Intelligence", and features a number of important activities in addition to the WIOT Wuxi Summit, including the main exhibition of IoT applications and products, the China National College Innovation Competition of IoT Applications, and the 4th Meeting of the Governing Group of Wuxi National Sensor Network Innovation Demonstration Zone.