CIDCA vice-chairman addresses opening of SCO digital economy seminar

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Digital Economy Seminar, a human resources foreign aid project jointly developed by the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) and the National Data Administration, opened in Beijing on July 9. Zhao Fengtao, vice-chairman of the CIDCA, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks. 

He said that the seminar is a major project implementing the consensus reached among leaders of SCO countries on strengthening cooperation in the digital economy. It is also the first digital economy training program held by China for other countries in the Global South since China proposed the initiative for digital development of the Global South within the framework of the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, he said. It is greatly significant for expanding cooperation in the digital field and strengthening capacity building in the Global South, he added.

Noting 2025 is the Year of SCO Sustainable Development, Zhao said that China will continue to uphold the Shanghai Spirit with all member states, strengthen unity and cooperation and promote common development. Efforts will be made to enhance strategic planning, promote the alignment of China's initiatives with the digital development strategies of other countries, and open up new landscapes in digital economy cooperation, according to Zhao. China will also enhance pragmatic efforts for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the implementation of the GDI to drive fast-track digital development, he said. China will also enhance talent cultivation, conduct more training programs in the digital field, increase the sharing of experience and technology and foster new driving forces for sustainable development, he concluded. 

Also attending the event were Liu Liehong, head of China's National Data Administration, officials at the ministerial and director-general levels from six SCO countries -- including Tajikistan and Belarus -- as well as diplomatic envoys to China from SCO countries.