CHENGDU, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- An action plan was unveiled Monday to fuel the digitalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies.

The three-year plan focuses on promoting exchanges and communication between APEC SMEs, conducting digital development research, setting up service systems, as well as strengthening education and training, in a bid to better serve the companies with their digitalization.

It was released at the APEC SME Digital Economy Development Conference held in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Xu Ningning, executive president of the China-ASEAN Business Council, said the digital economy is a key area of future cooperation between the two sides since seven of the 10 ASEAN countries are APEC members.

The two sides launched the Smart City Cooperation Initiative at the 22nd ASEAN-China Summit this year, with 26 cities pioneering, which will provide great business opportunities for relevant enterprises, Xu added.

Representatives from Australia, Chile, the United States and other APEC economies attended the conference.