Companies are gearing up for digital change: Pony Ma

Pony Ma, chairman and chief executive officer of Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd, said on Sunday that companies in the real economy are now gearing up for the digital transformation, in which Tencent will work as a connector to provide services as needed.

Ma said at the China International Big Data Industry Expo in Guizhou province that the booming digital economy will breed abundant innovation opportunities, especially in connecting real economy and internet technologies.

Digital technology is playing an increasingly important part in driving China's economic growth. According to the Tencent Research Institute, the size of China's digital economy reached 23 trillion yuan ($3.36 trillion) last year, accounting for 31 percent of the country's total GDP.

This was the third time Ma attended the big data expo in Guiyang, Guizhou province. "The big data expo has made great success, catching the eyes of a lot of companies at home and abroad,"he said.

As a big event in China's digital industry, the annual big data expo has drawn several industry tycoons in the past three years, including the heads of the so-called BAT - Baidu's Robin Li, Alibaba's Jack Ma and Pony Ma.

Pony Ma made comments on Robin Li and Jack Ma's recent discussion on big data, saying the market will be one of the most important factors in driving companies' development in the future, instead of data and technology.

"They are actually talking about different phases. I believe the market is the key, which will produce data and drive technology and innovation," he said.