BEIJING: China has about 500 smart city pilot projects, the highest in the world, according to a leading auditing and consulting firm. 

Over 1,000 smart city pilot projects are ready for or are under construction worldwide and China is home to about 500 of them, covering big and small cities, according to a report by Deloitte. 

China is keen to build smart cities,  and the industry will enjoy more policy and investment support, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Ma Jionglin, a senior Deloitte partner as saying .

China started piloting national smart city development in 2012 to encourage use of the latest technology, such as artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, to help the flow of traffic, improve law enforcement and make public buildings more energy efficient. 

Three groups of cities have been listed as national pilot projects so far. China aims to nurture 100 new smart cities from 2016 to 2020 to lead the country's urban planning and development, the report said.