German engineering and electronics conglomerate Siemens AG is one solutions provider in China's burgeoning smart city market.

Xiao Song, president of Siemens Infrastructure & Cities Sector North East Asia, said many of the solutions that are tailor-made for Chinese customers have now attracted interest in overseas markets.

One example is the traffic control system in the city of Wuhan. China's traffic planners had provided the physical infrastructure: wider roads, more buses and longer subway lines. Still lacking, however, was an optimal way of using the newly built network.