Xinhua participates Saudi Arabia's Future Investment Initiative conference as media partner

Ren Weidong (C), deputy editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency, attends the seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2023. The forum kicked off on Tuesday in Riyadh under the theme "The New Compass." (Xinhua/Wu Zhongmin)

RIYADH, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The 7th Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia's capital Riyadh, with Xinhua News Agency participating as the event's media partner.

Xinhua's Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ren Weidong attended the opening ceremony of the conference.

Dubbed "Davos in the Desert," the FII conference is the largest international investment and innovation forum in the Middle East, attracting a large number of political and business leaders every year.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, FII Institute CEO Richard Attias said the future of human values is a topic of profound importance, especially as the world stands at the threshold of a new era.

He said that work should continue at an accelerated pace on emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence and genetic engineering, and building strong ethical frameworks for technological use to safeguard human rights and dignity as well as to ensure transparency.

The three-day event this year brings together 6,000 participants from more than 90 countries and regions, and 500 local and international speakers from different sectors, said Attias.

About 300 Chinese delegates attended this year's event, doubling the number of last year, he said.

The FII conference is hosted by the FII Institute under the guidance of the Saudi Ministry of Investment. The first edition of the conference was held in 2017.

A man reads a magazine at the exhibition stand of Xinhua News Agency during the seventh Future Investment Initiative (FII7) forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 24, 2023. The forum kicked off on Tuesday in Riyadh under the theme "The New Compass." (Xinhua/Wang Dongzhen)