Experts share views on prospects of digital economy cooperation at high-level forum of BRF2023

Photo shows experts are under the dialogue at a panel discussion held during the High-level Forum on Digital Economy of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Oct. 18, 2023.

At the High-level Forum on Digital Economy of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) held on Wednesday, five experts from home and abroad discussed the prospects of international cooperation in digital economy.

During the event, the Beijing Initiative on the Belt and Road International Digital Economy Cooperation was proposed. Experts also exchanged views on the initiative during their discussion.

The digital economy is an intersection of multiple disciplines, and talents are required to understand economics as well as cutting-edge technologies such as big data, block-chain and artificial intelligence, said Nancy Ip, president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The Beijing Initiative on the Belt and Road International Digital Economy Cooperation aims to expand cooperation and build a community of interests to better promote digital transformation among countries, promote trade cooperation and narrow the digital divide, said Mayra Arevich, Minister of Communications of Cuba.

Further promoting cooperation in the field of digital economy and strengthening digital security are the areas that we should focus on in the future, said Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

The Belt and Road Initiative(BRI) has put forward the grand vision of promoting global connectivity and accelerating economic development, which deeply resonates with the principles and objectives of CICA, he said.

Since BRI was launched 10 years ago, cooperation under the BRI framework has expanded beyond the borders of China to become an international effort, achieving notable historical achievements. As a provider of comprehensive solutions for the energy and power industry and an infrastructure investment contractor, China Energy Engineering Group Co., Ltd. (Energy China) has been making constant efforts to strengthen digital cooperation in the fields of energy and power and infrastructure with BRI participating countries, said Song Hailiang, chairman of the board and executive director of Energy China.

The China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) will actively promote the deep integration of traditional infrastructure such as highways, ports, railways, urban rails, etc., with new generation information technology in BRI participating countries, and carry out the construction of smart highways, smart ports, and smart cities, said Wang Tongzhou, chairman of CCCC. (Edited by Tian Shenyoujia with Xinhua Silk Road, tianshenyoga0524@163.com)