How Chinese advances in technology, from 5G and cloud computing to the e-yuan, power Beijing Winter Paralympic Games

As the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games gets under way, the athletes, international contingents, members of media and viewers around the world will find that the Chinese hi-tech infrastructure behind last month’s Winter Olympics remains in place for the sporting events from March 4 to 13.

The most prominent of these hi-tech advances are 5G mobile communications technology, China’s digital currency and cloud infrastructure services, which form part of Beijing’s efforts to promote the country’s tech-savvy image through the Olympic Games.

These have become some of the bright spots for China’s latest Olympic hosting duties, which have been marred by difficulties. These include a draconian closed-loop management to keep athletes away from the Chinese public, Western government boycott on China’s human rights record in Xinjiang and the latest controversy over the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes for their countries’ roles in the war in Ukraine.

The roll-out of 5G mobile network services across China, with the world’s biggest internet user population and largest smartphone market, was forecast to spur new growth in the country’s information technology industry by 3.3 trillion yuan (US$522 billion) in the five years to 2024.