BEIJING: The World Internet Conference (WIC) Organization, together with Shaanxi provincial government, will host the Digital Silk Road Development Forum on April 16in Xi’an, China.
The basic information, preparatory work and highlights of the upcoming forum were introduced at a press conference held here on Wednesday which was presided over by Liang Hao, executive deputy secretary-general of the WIC. Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC; Sun Daguang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee; and Yao Lijun, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Xi’an Municipal Committee, attended the press conference and took media questions. Ren said that Xi’an is the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, which also serves as an important node connecting the East and the West. The China (Shaanxi) Pilot Free Trade Zone has seen trade partners from more than 200 countries and regions around the world, and has become an important hub for cross-border e-commerce, he noted. The WIC Digital Silk Road Development Forum, to be hosted by the WIC and organized by the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province, is the first thematic event of the WIC with a focus on digital Silk Road. Themed on “Connectivity and Shared Prosperity”, the forum will hold extensive discussions on the following three topics: “Digital Connectivity and Cooperation in Building the Silk Road”, “Silk Road E-commerce International Cooperation”, and “Digital Villages and Sustainable Development”.
It will serve as an international communication platform for countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to improve infrastructure, develop the digital economy, and bridge the digital divide.
As international, professional and representative as other WIC events, the forum will focus on digital infrastructure and capacity building, digital cultural exchanges, cooperation in cross-border e-commerce, digital technology empowering agricultural production, and improving rural governance, and invite high-level representatives from international organizations, governments, major enterprises and industry associations, as well as experts and scholars for discussions. –Agencies
