The 16th China Internet Conference opened in Beijing on July 11.

State-of-the-art products and technologies, such as facial-recognition hardware and virtual reality gear, are among the highlights of the exhibition.

Analysts say that despite a late start, China’s internet industry has gained advantages in the major areas of infrastructure, user base and applications.

Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said the next step of internet development will be focusing on smart manufacturing and upgrading infrastructure.