Big data spurs growth in Guizhou

Guizhou also boasts abundant energy resources and low electricity prices.

The Guizhou Provincial Development and Reform Commission said in early 2018 that the average price of electricity for industrial use in the province in the first 10 months of the previous year fell by nearly 0.13 yuan per kilowatt hour, hitting one of the lowest levels nationwide at the time.

Zhao said: "One giant telecommunications company alone is estimated to be able to save $100 million a year in power consumption after deciding to settle in Guizhou."

Hu added that advances made in transportation infrastructure in the province in recent years have helped its data storage and processing industries expand.

"At the end of 2019, expressways in the province extended for 7,000 kilometers. In addition, passengers traveling from Guiyang by high-speed trains can reach any part of China within seven hours," he said.

An increasingly sophisticated road and rail network epitomizes the commitments made to high-quality development in the area.

Due to its numerous rolling mountains and deep valleys, building new roads and bridges is prohibitively expensive in Guizhou, which has resulted in a series of disconnected transportation systems.

The province invested 887.3 billion yuan ($137 billion) in the transportation industry during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2015-20), a rise of more than 40 percent from the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15).