To develop, first build roads. In the context of the accelerated development of Internet technology and the continuous improvement of information construction, digital networks have become an "information superhighway" that creates value and demand.
On April 16, the Digital Silk Road Development Forum of the World Internet Conference with the theme of "Connectivity and Common Prosperity" opened in Xi'an. This is the first time that an international organization of the World Internet Conference has held a special forum on the "Digital Silk Road". Accelerating the construction of the Digital Silk Road, creating a new platform for international economic cooperation, promoting the digital transformation and development of countries and regions under the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to a new stage have become the consensus of high-level representatives of more than 50 international organizations, governments, important enterprises and industry institutions, as well as well-known experts and scholars.
Digital interconnection to build the Silk Road
China Telecom's construction of the Phongsali Smart City in Laos has effectively improved the efficiency and intelligence of local police handling, and Kilimall, a China-based online shopping platform, has brought a wealth of products and convenient services to the lives of African people...... According to the data, by the end of 2022, China had signed memorandums of understanding on cooperation on the "Digital Silk Road" with 17 countries and e-commerce cooperation with 30 countries, and a number of digital projects such as new infrastructure construction and digital supply chain had been implemented, laying a solid foundation for promoting the transformation of countries and regions under the Belt and Road Initiative.
As the starting point of the ancient Silk Road, under the framework of the Digital Silk Road, Xi'an has once again become an important node connecting the East and the West and promoting cooperation and development.
"Micron has a 20-year history in China and continues to support innovation for our customers and the broader semiconductor ecosystem in China. A few weeks ago, we launched a factory expansion project in Xi'an, increasing our total investment in Xi'an to more than 15 billion RMB. Mark Murphy, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Micron Technology, said that Xi'an was the starting point of the Silk Road, a historic trade route that fostered prosperity and shaped the world, and that Micron was fortunate to thrive in this vibrant and historic city. With the continuous development and expansion of the World Internet Conference, we look forward to jointly promoting technological innovation and carrying out more cooperation.
The development of the digital economy is unprecedentedly fast, wide-ranging, and influential, and the imbalance in digital development is also calling for digital inclusion. At the forum, Hou Shengli, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Cisco Greater China, Si Han, President of GSSA Greater China, and other enterprise representatives demonstrated a number of digital technology innovation achievements and application scenarios including 5G communications, Internet of Things, and cloud computing.
They look forward to further strengthening international cooperation, jointly promoting the development and application of digital technology, accelerating the pace of digital transformation, opening up a new situation for the economic growth and international economic cooperation of relevant countries, and creating new opportunities for the development of the "Digital Silk Road".
Let the world share the fruits of the development of "Silk Road e-commerce".
From the sound of camel bells, the ancient Silk Road, to the global trade across mountains and seas empowered by digital technology, "Silk Road e-commerce" reflects the "camel bell" and "sail shadow" of today's international trade.
According to the data, in the first three quarters of 2023, China's cross-border e-commerce import and export was 1.7 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 14.4%. With the continuous improvement of digital level and capabilities, and the continuous prosperity of the e-commerce market, the international cooperation stage of "Silk Road E-commerce" has become more and more broad, and it has become a new opportunity for all parties to share market dividends.
"The development of 'Silk Road e-commerce', the cultural field, especially the circulation of cultural artworks is an important breakthrough. Lv Jianzhong, chairman of the Silk Road International Chamber of Commerce, said that from riding a camel to transport goods to running data on the Internet, the Silk Road is being given new life, new value and new possibilities. With the vigorous development of the global digital economy, it is necessary to build a "cultural digital silk road" that combines online and offline to enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
Lv Jianzhong said that the "Cultural Digital Silk Road" has built a new platform for the exchange and dissemination of cultural artworks by combining traditional culture with modern technology with the help of advanced digital technology. Through this platform, we can jointly explore the path of cultural innovation, develop international cultural trade, and enhance exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations and people-to-people bonds.
It provides the possibility for the global development of the tea industry, realizes "cross-border + free trade + comprehensive insurance + import + port" with the help of the China-Europe Express (Chang'an), cultivates local cross-border e-commerce talents, and helps Shaanxi enterprises to go overseas...... At the intersection of globalization and digitalization, Shaanxi is actively embracing change and welcoming partners from all over the world with an open and inclusive attitude. In the "World Internet Conference Cross-border E-commerce Practice Case Collection (2024)" released on the same day, 7 Shaanxi practice achievements are among them, which provides a feasible "Shaanxi Plan" for further promoting global cross-border e-commerce related entities to learn from each other, complement each other's advantages, and form a business environment that promotes the healthy development of cross-border e-commerce.
Traditional villages have ushered in new opportunities for development
With the help of smart collars, real-time monitoring of cattle feeding and development, tapping the mobile phone screen to view the growth of greenhouse vegetables in real time, and using positioning software to plan and manage the land of cooperatives...... With the gradual integration of digital technology into various fields of economic and social development, the production, life and social governance methods of the countries and regions jointly built by the Belt and Road Initiative are also constantly updated, and traditional villages have also ushered in new development opportunities.
"As an e-commerce platform, Pinduoduo started from farming, rooted in agriculture, serving farmers, continuously improving agricultural planting technology, improving rural infrastructure, and helping to solve the 'first mile' problem of agricultural production and food safety. Zhao Jiazhen, executive director of Shanghai Xunmeng Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Pinduoduo), said in the sharing that through technological innovation to promote the modernization of the agricultural industry chain, Pinduoduo focuses on solving the "last mile" problem of agricultural products from the market to consumers, and has directly connected more than 1,000 agricultural production areas and driven more than 16 million agricultural producers to participate in the digital economy.
When digital meets the countryside, the information channels for rural governance to add "wisdom" and "quality" are becoming more and more smooth, and the traditional culture is "breaking the circle" and creating new ones.
Deng Jinhong, chairman of Beijing Yimutian Group, said with emotion when talking about the high-quality development of digital technology to serve agriculture, that in the past ten years, the rural industrial transformation driven by digital technology has crossed mountains and seas and achieved vigorous development, and the "Belt and Road" has provided a new era of opportunities for digital technology exchanges and industrial integration and development on a global scale.
"The dividends of digital agriculture will continue to grow around the world. Deng Jinhong believes that with the support of big data, most of the country's agricultural products will be gradually realized. "The forum also invites many international organizations, regional governments and industrial partners to work together to develop stronger new agricultural productivity along the digital direction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and jointly provide innovative vitality and the strongest momentum for sustainable agricultural development." ”
"The digital economy is becoming an important engine to promote global economic growth, especially in the western region, where the development of the digital economy has great potential and space. When talking about the significance of this forum, Zhang Hong, president of the Western Digital Economy Research Institute, said that to vigorously develop the "Digital Silk Road", we should give full play to the advantages of massive data and rich application scenarios, promote the deep integration of digital technology and the real economy, empower the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, give birth to new industries, new formats and new models, use digital technology to develop digital industries, enhance the competitiveness of the digital economy, complete digital transformation, promote the sustainable and healthy development of the digital economy, and provide key support and new tracks for the high-quality development of new quality productivity.
Text/Reporter Tang Bing
Photo/Luo Yaxiu Chen Wei