Chinese companies reach out to the world for digital Silk Road construction under Belt and Road

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One year after President Xi Jinping envisioned the digital Silk Road, Chinese companies are making the vision a reality as a rising number of them reach out to support world’s digitalization.

Addressing a Thursday forum on the sideline of the second Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, Sun Pishu, chairman and CEO of Inspur Group, proposed that smart city construction assisted by new technologies like cloud computing, big data, 5G, and AI will provide new driving forces in the global economy.

“China has gained a vast experience in building smart cities after many years of practice, setting up good examples for building smart cities under the Belt and Road Initiative,” he said, adding that enterprises from China and around the world should team up to provide services for the digital Silk Road.

The concept of digital Silk Road was envisioned by President Xi Jinping at the first BRF in 2017, which has hence seen strengthened efforts from Chinese enterprises.

For instance, Inspur provides informationalized services for 120 countries and regions around the globe, including Thailand Education Cloud Program, Kazakhstan Smart Railway Program, Zambia Smart Taxation Program, and Curacao Smart City Program.

Also at the Thursday forum, Beijing Qi An Xin Group inked a cooperation deal with Indonesia’s Artha Graha Network to jointly build a threat awareness platform, marking the first major cyber security infrastructure by a Chinese enterprise operating overseas.

Lothar Herrmann, President and CEO Siemens Greater China, also a representative at BRF, commented that BRI has proven to be a strong force for the development of globalization, connecting peoples and economies.

“High-quality development is the right formula going forward for this fast expanding infrastructure program of our time. It means to construct an open and inclusive playing ground for all participants, to drive practical cooperation and meaningful projects fit for the digital age, and to bring tangible benefits to the society and people under the Belt and Road,” noted Herrmann.