Drones. Disinfecting robots. ‘Contactless’ deliveries. The coronavirus outbreak is a test for China’s tech industry
CNNHong Kong CNN Business — China has spent decades nurturing its tech sector. Tech is also the linchpin of Beijing’s “Made in China 2025” initiative, a plan to shift the economy from manufacturing to high-tech sectors. As China now fights the coronavirus, technology won’t be the “dominating factor” that stops the outbreak, according to Danny Mu, a Beijing-based analyst of emerging technologies at Forrester. “But Chinese tech companies can be very responsive and versatile.” The food delivery giant Meituan Dianping, for example, introduced robots last week in some of its partners’ restaurants in Beijing that help bring food from kitchens to delivery workers, and to customers waiting for takeout orders. China’s tech sector has long benefited from “top-down” support from Beijing, said Huang, the Coresight Research analyst.