This year’s World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum will be held on July 24 in Quanzhou, a historic port city in east China’s Fujian Province, officials announced at a press conference on Thursday.
The forum will feature discussions on a range of topics including inclusive cooperation in digital trade under the Belt and Road Initiative, the role of artificial intelligence in supporting high-quality development of the private sector, the digital-intelligent transformation of international logistics, and sustainable development. Other focus areas include AI development and governance, innovation in the digital economy, and the digital presentation of traditional Chinese culture.
Ren Xianliang, Secretary-General of the WIC, stated that the forum aims to create new opportunities for multidimensional digital cooperation. Located along the narrow coastal plains of Fujian, Quanzhou was one of the most prominent ports along the ancient Maritime Silk Road during the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. The city was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list in 2021.