Thousands of years ago, ancient Chinese pioneered the Silk Road connecting Asia, Europe, and Africa, as well as the maritime Silk Road bridging the East and the West, exploring new paths for human civilizational exchanges.

Nowadays, as the digital economy has become an important engine for global industrial development and transformation, the joint construction of the Digital Silk Road is arousing growing attention, as a potentially effective approach to promote the Belt and Road cooperation.

Themed "Connectivity and Shared Prosperity", the World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum was held on April 16 in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Wang Yong, vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, and Zhuang Rongwen, chair of the WIC and director of the Cyberspace Administration of China, addressed the opening ceremony.

Wang noted that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of the digital economy. The Forum has injected new impetus into the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and created a new platform for international economic cooperation.

The Chinese government is willing to work with all parties to promote the construction of the Digital Silk Road, share the development dividends of the digital economy, and deepen innovation and cooperation in digital technology, Wang said.

The country will strengthen exchanges and mutual learning in digital culture, and jointly build a normative system for digital governance, contributing to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace, Wang added.

Zhuang Rongwen said that the WIC should accelerate the building of the Digital Silk Road and promote the digital transformation and development of the Belt and Road countries.

He also suggested jointly building digital infrastructure, promoting reciprocal digital cooperation, sharing the achievements of digital civilization, exploring international digital governance, as well as safeguarding security in cyberspace.

Subsequent to the opening ceremony, the main Forum was held. It featured discussions on such topics as "Digital Connectivity and Cooperation in Building the Silk Road", "Silk Road E-commerce International Cooperation", and "Digital Villages and Sustainable Development".

The WIC Collection of Cross-Border E-Commerce Practice Cases (2024) was also released at the main forum.

Hosted by the WIC and organized by the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, the Forum aims at creating a new platform for digital economic cooperation. Representatives from nearly 50 countries and regions attended the meeting.

Source: Official website of the wicinternet