East China's Zhejiang province recently released a document putting forward detailed plans to fulfil its role as the country's first demonstration area for the information economy.

Since the province received approval from the central government last November, Zhejiang has been considering how to maintain its advantages and how to make breakthroughs in information economy. The newly released document explains the plans from different perspectives.

In general, it proposes that in three to five years, the information economy will take a prominent position in Zhejiang's economy and innovation capacity will receive a huge lift. Over the same period, centers for international e-commerce, the internet of things, cloud computing and big data will be built to ensure that Zhejiang's "internet plus" and new smart city initiatives will lead the country.

The plans state that accelerating the development of the core industries of the information economy is essential. Emphasis should be placed not only on the manufacturing sector, but also on the software and service industries. It sets a goal that by 2019, the added value of the core industries of the information economy could reach 550 billion yuan ($84.4 billion).

The key to improving core industries is making breakthroughs in core technologies, according to an official from Zhejiang Province Economic and Information Commission. Though Zhejiang is home to a number of high-tech companies, like the e-commerce giant Alibaba Group and Hikvision, a leading supplier of surveillance and monitoring devices, shortages in core technologies have hindered the development of the information economy.

The document provides a layout of cutting-edge technologies in artificial intelligence, virtual reality and big data analysis, and it focuses on  innovation in research and development.

The increasing use of high-tech machines in factories is a typical reflection of the combination of informationalization and industrialization in Zhejiang. According to the plans, this combination will grow deeper and stronger to further boost intelligent manufacturing and modern agriculture.