BEIJING: China will continue to work with the Group of 20 (G20) members to foster a balanced, coordinated and inclusive global digital economic paradigm that brings benefits to all and features win-win cooperation and shared prosperity, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
Xi made the remarks when attending and addressing the 17th G20 Summit in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.
During the discussion on digital transformation, Xi pointed out that the growing scale of the digital economy and the accelerating digital transformation across the globe have become important factors affecting the world economic landscape.
When hosting the G20 Hangzhou Summit in 2016, China included digital economy in the G20 agenda for the first time, and called for finding innovative ways for development and forging new growth drivers, Xi noted.
In recent years, the G20 has built more consensus and stepped up cooperation on adapting to digital transformation and building the digital economy, he said, voicing hopes that all parties will unleash the dynamism in digital cooperation and bring the benefits of digital economy to the people of all countries.
He called on countries to uphold multilateralism and strengthen international cooperation.
Countries should make concerted efforts to foster an open, inclusive, equitable, just and non-discriminatory environment for the development of digital economy, and advance international cooperation on nurturing the digital industry and promoting the digital transformation of industries, to unleash the potential of digital economy in driving global growth, the Chinese president said.
Building “a small yard with high fences” to limit or hinder cooperation in science and technology will hurt others’ interests without benefiting oneself, Xi noted, adding that such practices are incompatible with the common interests of the international community.
Xi said it is important to put development first and bridge the digital divide, saying countries should jointly promote connectivity in the digital age, and take effective measures to promote digital literacy and skills for all.
It is particularly important to help developing countries and disadvantaged groups to adapt to digital transformation and strive to close the digital divide, he stressed. bChina has launched the initiative of building a digital Silk Road, and has identified digital economy as a key area of cooperation under the Global Development Initiative, Xi said, noting that China looks forward to cooperating with all parties in this regard.
–The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
