• Digital Silk Road Development Forum held in Quanzhou tells trade stories, from ancient maritime routes to cutting-edge e-commerce, a dynamic legacy of the Maritime Silk Road City

• Innovative development of digital economy, digital trade takes center stage at 2025World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum Held in Quanzhou

• More than 600 participants from 49 countries and regions and 13 international organizations attend at 2025World Internet Conference

• China will continue engaging in global artificial intelligence governance with a win-win approach while enhancing digital partnership: Officials

By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia

Quanzhou: The innovative development of the digital economy, digital trade takes center stage at the 2025 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum held in Quanzhou, Fujian province, East China on Thursday.

Global leaders, experts, and innovators from governments, businesses, and academia gathered to discuss frontier topics on digital trade, AI, smart transport, and digital connectivity in regions around the ancient Silk Road.

Fujian province, East China had the vital trading port of Maritime Silk Road since times.

The forum, themed “Embracing the Digital and Intelligent Maritime Silk Road — Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace”, was co-organized by the WIC and the Fujian provincial government.

At the 2025 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum, participants gathered to explore how open cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative can unlock new opportunities for global trade.

This year the World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Quanzhou drew more than 600 participants from 49 countries and regions and 13 international organizations.

China first proposed the building of a Digital Silk Road at the 2017 Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.

China will continue engaging in global artificial intelligence governance with a win-win approach while enhancing digital partnership with others, said officials and experts attending the WIC Digital Silk Road Development Forum.

Li Shulei, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, said that as a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates worldwide, the growing prominence of digitalization, networking and intelligentization underscores the strategic significance of developing the Digital Silk Road.

China will adhere to the approach of win-win cooperation to jointly propel the innovative development of the digital economy, Li said.

On cybersecurity, he stressed the need to uphold law-based cyberspace governance and jointly enhance the capacity to safeguard cybersecurity.

Zhou Zuyi, secretary of the CPC Fujian Provincial Committee, said that amid accelerating global digital transformation, the Digital Silk Road has become a key driver for advancing international economic and trade cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhou said that efforts will be made to strengthen capacity building in data governance, such as network communication and data processing, and to establish a data infrastructure system with wider coverage, greater operational stability and faster response.

Ding Shizhong, chairman of Anta Sports, said, “AI is driving unprecedented transformation across industries, reshaping corporate competitiveness.”

On enterprises’ role in advancing AI development, Ding emphasized that enterprises serve not only as adopters of innovative technologies, but also as drivers and transformers.

“Enterprises need to strategically tap into AI’s potential, converting technological capabilities into practical productivity through innovative business models, to propel high-end transformation across industries,” Ding said.

On digital accessibility, Martin Charles, Dominica’s ambassador to China, said, “For Dominica, the BRI opened cooperation for digital trade, offering the starting point for integration into digital trade ecosystems worldwide.”

“China’s global leadership in technology development and, in particular, AI is making technology more accessible and affordable to the Global South countries,” he added.

“In the future, everyone will be the boss of AI agents,” said Zhou Hongyi, founder of 360 Security Group, at the 2025 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development. He also shared with China Daily Website his experience with AI Agents: “I’ve already customized about 30 AI agents to handle daily tasks for me.”

Participants learnt future-shaping insights from the forum that unlocked new opportunities for global trade.

Experts also explored how AI technologies empower high-quality growth of private enterprises worldwide, unlocking new momentum for the global private economy.

The Booming digital economy of China under the Digital Silk Road and Silk Road E-commerce framework

China’s digital economy is booming, and its digital trade volume reflects that momentum. In 2023, digitally-delivered services trade stood around ¥2.72 trillion (≈ $387.5 billion).Also, cross-border e-commerce volume was around ¥2.37 trillion, a 15.3% increase from the previous year, according official sources.

As regards digital trade cooperation partners, China ranked among the top three globally, alongside the EU and the US.

In 2023, the global digital trade volume reached $7.13 trillion, with China leading in digitally ordered trade.

China’s digital trade has grown steadily, driven by platforms like Alibaba, JD.com, and Shein, and supported by over 2,500 overseas warehouses.

As regards growth drivers of China’s digital trade, integration of AI, cloud computing, blockchain, and big data into trade systems, expansion of cross-border e-commerce pilot zones, strategic initiatives like the Digital Silk Road and Silk Road E-commerce framework.