Zhong Haidong addresses parallel forum on digital interconnectivity

Zhong Haidong, vice-chairman of the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), attended and delivered a welcoming speech at the parallel forum themed on "Integrating Digital & AI Know-how to Facilitate Global Interconnectivity and Development" on July 10. 

Jointly sponsored by the China International Contractors Association and the CIDCA, the parallel forum is an important event of the first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development, held from July 9 to 10 in Beijing. 

In his speech, Zhong pointed out that the Global Development Initiative (GDI) has identified digital connectivity as one of its eight priority areas, providing a clear direction for and injecting strong impetus into deepening interconnectivity and promoting development cooperation among countries worldwide. 

He said China has been actively pioneering successful practices in digital connectivity and has conducted friendly cooperation with many other developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the South Pacific in such areas as network infrastructure, smart cities and human resource training. China's efforts have facilitated the transformation and upgrade of traditional interconnectivity assistance towards digitization, networking and intelligentization, endowing global interconnectivity with new connotations and providing China's solutions and practice platforms for bridging the digital divide. 

Zhong suggested that in the future, international development cooperation in the field of interconnectivity should be carried out in three areas, namely, infrastructure, technology and services, and society and people's livelihoods. First, more support should be provided to developing countries in communication network infrastructure, including 5G, the internet of things, satellite internet, cross-border pipelines and industrial internet, so as to facilitate their hardware upgrading. Second, as for the field of technology and services, he suggested implementing assistance projects for the digitalized and smart transformation of public services in smart cities, such as transportation energy, education and customs. Also, international cooperation in scientific research management and talents should be promoted to enhance their soft power. Third, in order to improve people's connectivity, he suggested strengthening knowledge sharing and the exchange of development policy experience, and carrying out more "small but smart" projects in digital connectivity to benefit people's livelihoods.

About 160 representatives attended this parallel forum. Participants, including government ministers of over 20 countries, ambassadors to China and industry representatives, conducted in-depth exchanges of views on interconnectivity in the digital era and jointly explored new paths for leveraging digital interconnectivity to support global development.