• The Digital Silk Road Development Forum will kick off on April 16 in Xian, the capital of western Shaanxi province.
  • The Digital Silk Road Development Forum will focus on three areas: developing connectivity and narrowing the digital divide, cross-border e-commerce, and rural digital infrastructure initiatives.

China will host a forum next month to promote its digital economy growth model and foster the development of digital infrastructure in the Belt and Road Initiative partner countries.

The Digital Silk Road Development Forum

The Digital Silk Road Development Forum of the World Internet Conference will be held in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, on April 16, said Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, at the forum’s news conference on Wednesday.

China launched the Belt and Road Initiative in 2015 to promote digital connectivity.

Centered on the theme of “Connectivity and Shared Prosperity”, the Digital Silk Road Development Forum will focus on three topics, “Digital Connectivity and Cooperation in Building the Silk Road”, “Silk Road E-commerce International Cooperation”, and “Digital Villages and Sustainable Development” to conduct extensive exchanges and discussions.

As part of the Forum, the World Internet Conference Digital Academy Programme will be officially launched.

The programme aims to cultivate digital talents, improve digital literacy, promote collaborative building and sharing, create new platforms, and present new opportunities.

Also read: UN Internet Governance Forum to be held in Riyadh in December

Participants around the world

According to the organisers, participants from more than 30 countries and regions will take part in the forum.

Including US chip giants Intel, Micron Technology, and Qualcomm, as well as Chinese e-commerce platform operators PDD Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding, computer giant Lenovo, and insurer Ping An Group.

The forum will discuss topics ranging from international data cooperation and trade facilitation to the development of e-commerce services and logistics systems, as well as talent development.

The aim is to tap into the trade potential of the Belt and Road partners, expanding cooperation in the digital economy and advancing the field of e-commerce.