The cross-border e-commerce industrial park in Xi 'an, March 11, 2024. (PHOTO: VCG)

By QI Liming

The World Internet Conference(WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum kicked off on April 16 in Xi 'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi province, adopting a theme of "Connectivity and Shared Prosperity."

The forum, organized by the WIC and co-organized by the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, held extensive exchanges and discussions on three topics: "Digital Connectivity and Cooperation in Building the Silk Road," "Silk Road E-commerce International Cooperation," and "Digital Villages and Sustainable Development."

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, said, "This is the first time that WIC has held a thematic forum on the 'Digital Silk Road'. WIC chose Xi'an to hold the forum to carry forward the silk road spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit, creating a better future for all." In China's past, Xi'an was an ancient imperial capital and eastern departure point of the Silk Road.

Aiming to build a new framework for international cooperation through dialogue and exchanges, and provide an international platform for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partners to improve infrastructure, develop the digital economy and bridge the digital divide, the forum brings new opportunities for the development of the "Digital Silk Road."

In recent years, with the remarkable achievements in the construction of the "Digital Silk Road," the "Silk Road E-commerce" program, taking e-commerce as a carrier to jointly build the BRI and promote economic development, has actively expanded and deepened international cooperation, showing strong resilience and vitality. According to statistics, in the first three quarters of 2023, China's cross-border e-commerce imports and exports climbed to 1.7 trillion RMB, a year-on-year increase of 14.4 percent.

"As the starting point of the ancient silk road and an important gateway to serve China's opening up of western regions, this forum is expected to give full play to Shaanxi's advantages, drive the development of the digital economy, and jointly develop new quality productive forces with BRI partner countries," said Sun Daguang, minister of Publicity Department of Shaanxi Province.