China lights digital path for others to follow

"What a journey." These simple words capture the depth of my feelings after this intense and unforgettable immersion into the Chinese experience over the past number of days.

In my home country, Cabo Verde, we have a very special word to describe the art of welcoming others with kindness, respect and genuine warmth. We call it "morabeza".

And I am certain that this word reflects exactly what this diverse and beautiful group — from Comoros, Grenada, Jordan, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Gambia, Panama, Sierra Leone, Rwanda and South Africa — has felt throughout this journey.

I insist on the word "morabeza" because it holds the essence of the first great lesson of this training program.

It happened during one of the most remarkable moments of our stay — in a small village in Turpan. There, we watched people of different cultures, different origins, different religions and different worldviews dancing together, united by a rhythm unfamiliar to many, yet irresistible to all.

In that simple moment of shared humanity, I absorbed one of the most powerful teachings of this mission: the importance of coexistence, harmony and our ability to build a better world when we respect each other's values while promoting unity and genuine connection.

Over these days, we learned intensely. We saw firsthand how this great nation — through a long-term digital vision, unwavering persistence and structural stability — has elevated the quality of life of its people.

I now understand with absolute clarity: only with stability can nations dream of deep and lasting transformation.

Only with an economic and digital strategy that survives political cycles can developing countries take the leap their people truly need and deserve.

But I also understood something equally important: leadership must be coherent, committed and genuinely dedicated to serving its people.

Throughout our visits — from modern urban centers to rural communities — I felt a strong alignment between the narrative we heard in the classroom and the reality we observed on the ground.

Even in moments when I walked alone through the streets of Beijing, that coherence was evident. China's transformation is not abstract. It is visible. It is lived. It is real.

If there is a country in the world where technology is truly an engine of transformation placed at the service of development, that country is China.

China has normalized innovation. It has normalized the process of technological induction. From achieving the highest 5G penetration in the world to embedding advanced technologies in virtually every dimension of society, China has shown what it means to make technology a daily tool for productivity, efficiency and national progress.

It sounds simple — but no other nation has done it at this scale.

We live in an unequal world marked by immense challenges. And these challenges should inspire us to do our part in building a true global village with a shared future.

China's aspiration must become our aspiration too.

Yet, this vision faces real obstacles: the need for fair global internet governance, the danger of digital censorship models imposed on sovereign nations, the importance of inclusive global security frameworks that do not exclude regions still lagging in digital transformation, and, perhaps most crucially, the generational transition we are about to witness with the full integration of Artificial Intelligence into our societies.

Today, more than ever, China's concept of a shared future for humanity feels deeply relevant. AI carries a transformative potential — but also a profound risk: the risk of cultural homogenization driven by algorithms trained overwhelmingly on the values, narratives and worldviews of just a few regions of the world. We must be fully aware of this.

China, because of its global vision and commitment to digital sovereignty, has a responsibility — even a duty — to lead an initiative for sovereign AI engines that protect the cultural identities of regions not yet fully conscious of the risks of depending exclusively on AI models from two dominant technological powers.

That unforgettable moment of dance in Turpan — when we all shared a moment of pure human connection — can be our inspiration to expand morabeza to the global level.

The author is a board member and technical director of Unitel T+ Operator.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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