China to woo belt and road partners at ‘digital silk road’ forum in April amid an increasingly divided cyberspace

Name: Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils 8-point vision for nation’s Belt and Road Initiative at forum
Uploaded: 2024-03-27T11:30:14.000Z
Duration: 2 min 48 s
Description: Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils 8-point vision for nation’s Belt and Road Initiative at forum

The Digital Silk Road Development Forum will kick off on April 16 in Xian, capital of western Shaanxi province

With China at odds with Western countries in data and cyberspace management, Beijing is trying to sway other parties to side with its vision

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The ancient city wall in Xian, northwest China’s Shaanxi province, which will host the coming Digital Silk Road forum. Photo: Xinhua

Ben Jiangin Beijing

Published: 7:30pm, 27 Mar 2024Updated: 7:41pm, 27 Mar 2024

China will host a forum next month to promote its digital-economy growth model and facilitate the development of digital infrastructure in partner nations of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Beijing’s plan to grow global trade.

The Digital Silk Road (DSR) Development Forum will open on April 16 in Xian, capital of western Shaanxi province, co-organised by the World Internet Conference (WIC) and the Shaanxi provincial government, WIC secretary general Ren Xianliang announced at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

China launched the DSR initiative in 2015 as the technology arm of BRI, with the aim of boosting digital connectivity. WIC, which started as an annual forum, was turned into an “international organisation” in 2022 to further Beijing’s views on how the internet should be managed and developed.

The theme of the coming DSR forum will be mutual connectivity and common prosperity, with a focus on three areas: developing connectivity and narrowing the digital divide, cross-border e-commerce and rural digital infrastructure initiatives, according to Ren.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping unveils 8-point vision for nation’s Belt and Road Initiative at forum

China is trying to retain its role as an important global trade and investment partner in an increasingly fragmented cyberspace and trade landscape. As Beijing is at odds with Western countries in data and cyberspace management, the Chinese government is trying to sway other nations and companies to side with its vision.

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