China’s forward-looking vision on the future development of the Internet offers a glimpse of how cooperation can narrow the digital divide across the world, at a time when economic slowdown and hampered globalization have dampened global growth, government officials and industry experts said. Friday.

They made the remarks at the Wuzhen Summit of the World Internet Conference 2024 which concluded on Friday in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province.

They also called for increased global cooperation to advance Internet development in less developed economies and improve digital skills for all.

Ren convergence of interests, growth points of cooperation and new strengths of win-win scenarios in cyberspace.

“All parties in the world should join forces to build a cyber world where human beings coexist, jointly create a digital future of win-win cooperation, and make cyberspace better for all people in the world,” he said.

More than 1,800 representatives from governments, international organizations, industry associations, Internet companies, universities and think tanks from more than 130 countries and regions attended this year’s summit, addressing some of the topics the most pressing issues facing countries in terms of digitalization.

Teo Nie Ching, Deputy Minister of Communications of Malaysia, said at the conference that digital transformation is not only about technological progress, but also a reflection of human values ​​and actions.

“As technology advances, we must adhere to a fundamental principle of holistic and people-centered development to ensure that technological applications truly serve the common good and promote the sharing of progress,” Mr Teo said.

A United Nations report reveals that 2.6 billion people around the world still do not have access to the Internet and a sharp digital divide can also be observed between economies, between industries and between urban and rural areas.

Although many less technologically advanced regions, such as Africa, have a strong desire to build an inclusive and equitable digital world, rapid advances in technologies often pose a huge challenge for developing countries: how to actively participate and keep pace with this growth, said Nii Narku Quaynor, chairman of Ghana Dot Com.

In this context, strengthening open access to Internet channels, content and digital technologies can greatly benefit emerging economies in the digital world, he said.

Envisioning a higher level of inclusiveness, connectivity and cooperation in the internet sector, a statement on global digital cooperation has been released by a WIC sub-forum.

The declaration highlighted the importance of advancing international cooperation on data exchange, improving cross-border data connectivity and reducing gaps in data flow, as well as increasing initiatives to build a an open and mutually beneficial international framework for data collaboration.

Intensified efforts should also be made to deepen international exchanges on technology standards, ethical guidelines and legal frameworks, to advance a widely accepted global AI governance system, the statement said.

He also called for human-centered and ethically sound approaches to cutting-edge technologies such as AI, encouraging safe, reliable, fair and transparent research and development and applications of AI.

At the opening ceremony of the WIC, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang also stressed the need for the international community to jointly address issues such as the digital divide and the serious cybersecurity situation to build a better digital future. .

The digital divide continues to widen and the cybersecurity situation has become more serious, Ding said, adding that the international community needs more than ever to jointly advance a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

China has shared modernization opportunities with countries around the world and provided strong impetus to global modernization, Ding said.