China set to narrow digital divide

China's forward-looking vision on the future development of the internet offers a glimpse into how cooperation can narrow the digital divide across the world, at a time when an economic slowdown and impeded globalization have stunted growth worldwide, said government officials and industry experts on Friday.

They made the remarks at the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit that ended in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province on Friday.

They also sought more global cooperation to advance the development of the internet in less-developed economies and enhance digital competence for all.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, said at a news conference, "More efforts should be made to help make the internet a new frontier for all parties to cooperate and continue to create more convergence of interests, growth points of cooperation and new highlights of win-win scenarios in cyberspace."

"All parties around the world are expected to join hands to build a cyber world where human beings coexist, jointly create a digital future of win-win cooperation and make cyberspace better for all peoples of the world," he said.

More than 1,800 representatives from governments, international organizations, industry associations, internet enterprises, universities and think tanks from over 130 countries and regions attended this year's summit, addressing some of the hottest topics faced by countries in digitalization.

Teo Nie Ching, deputy minister of communications of Malaysia, said at the conference that digital transformation is not solely about technological advancement, but also a reflection of human values and actions.

"As technology progresses, we must uphold a core principle of people-centered and holistic development to ensure that technological applications truly serve the common good and promote share to the progress," Teo said.

A United Nations report found that 2.6 billion individuals globally still lack internet access and a sharp digital divide can also be observed among economies, among industries and between urban and rural areas.

Although many less technologically advanced regions, such as Africa, possess a strong willingness to build an inclusive and equitable digital world, the rapid advancement of technologies often poses a huge challenge to developing countries — how to actively participate and keep pace with this growth, said Nii Narku Quaynor, chairman of Ghana Dot Com.

Against this backdrop, reinforcing open access to internet channels, digital content and technologies can greatly benefit emerging economies in the digital world, he said.

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

The statement highlighted the importance of advancing international cooperation on data exchange, enhancing cross-border data connectivity, and narrowing gaps in data circulation, as well as more initiatives to build 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, advancing a widely accepted global AI governance system, said the statement.

It 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 as well as applications of AI.

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

The digital divide continues to widen, and the situation of cybersecurity has become more severe, Ding said, adding that the international community is in greater need than ever of jointly advancing a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

China has been sharing the opportunities of modernization with countries around the world and injecting strong impetus into global modernization, Ding said.