In September and October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the joint construction of the "Silk Road Economic Belt" and the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road" during his visits to Kazakhstan and Indonesia, marking the official launch of the major cooperation initiative to jointly build the "Belt and Road". In December 2015, the second World Internet Conference opened a sub forum with the theme of "Digital Silk Road · Win win Cooperation" and was successfully held. In May 2017, President Xi Jinping officially proposed in his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that "we must adhere to innovation driven development and build the Digital Silk Road of the 21st century". As an important part of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road", the "Digital Silk Road" has made a series of achievements in assisting the joint construction of digital infrastructure in the "the Belt and Road" countries and regions, bridging the global digital divide, and building a digital dialogue mechanism, which provides a key support for China to build a new system of a higher level open economy.

The Digital Silk Road

Significant achievements in development

Continuously achieving practical results and accelerating the highlighting of cooperation achievements. As of the end of 2022, China has signed memorandums of understanding on "Digital Silk Road" cooperation with 17 countries, e-commerce cooperation with 30 countries, and "Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Investment Cooperation in the Digital Economy" with 18 countries and regions. Significant achievements have been made in areas such as digital infrastructure, digital trade and cross-border e-commerce, and digital governance. In addition, digital cooperation is still advancing, and more consensus continues to be reached. In October 2023, during the third the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, more than 10 countries, including China, jointly launched the Beijing Initiative for International Cooperation in the "the Belt and Road" Digital Economy, and reached 20 consensus on strengthening digital connectivity and promoting industrial digital transformation.

Continuously narrowing the digital divide and promoting inclusive sharing of digital achievements. There are still significant differences among countries around the world in terms of digital infrastructure layout, digital technology development and application. Taking the "Digital Silk Road" as an opportunity, China has joined hands with some countries in Asia, Europe, and Africa in recent years to strengthen digital infrastructure and strive to narrow the global "digital divide". For example, since the establishment of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, Chinese companies have helped African countries add and upgrade about 150000 kilometers of communication backbone networks, serving about 700 million user terminals. In addition, about 80% of 3G networks and 70% of 4G network infrastructure in Africa are currently invested and constructed by Chinese companies, while 5G network construction is also in the process of joint construction. In the Asian region, China Telecom Group has helped the Laotian government build a digital police information platform system, effectively improving the efficiency and digitalization level of local police handling.

Build global public goods and establish a digital cooperation platform. Since the proposal of the "Digital Silk Road", China has continuously accelerated the promotion of deep level exchanges and cooperation in the global digital field, and strengthened cooperation and exchanges in the global digital economy. It includes proposing to build a community of shared future in cyberspace, taking the lead in launching the "Digital Transformation Partnership Action Initiative" and the "Global Data Security Initiative", as well as holding high-level exchanges such as the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, the Digital China Construction Summit, and the High end Forum of the Smart China Expo. Relevant international forums and initiatives have focused on multiple issues such as digital security, digital economy, and digital infrastructure construction, promoting in-depth communication and exchanges among countries around the world on the development of the digital economy, and achieving broad international consensus.

The Digital Silk Road

Potential challenges for development

The digital infrastructure and talent matching are still relatively insufficient. Although since the "Digital Silk Road" was proposed, China and the countries and regions jointly building the "the Belt and Road" have jointly promoted the construction of digital infrastructure and achieved fruitful results. However, due to the fact that most of the co building countries are developing countries, the construction of digital facilities such as communication base stations and optical cables started relatively late, which has hindered the in-depth development of the "Digital Silk Road" construction. In terms of the African region, only South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Morocco account for 50% of the total number of data centers in Africa. The imbalance of digital facilities has led to a relatively insufficient grasp of digital development opportunities in the African region. In addition, the shortage of talent is also an important factor restricting the development of the "Digital Silk Road" in various countries.

Further exploration is needed to confirm data rights and protect privacy. The cooperation on the "Digital Silk Road" will drive massive data and information flows, and the effectiveness of data elements will also rapidly improve with the development and openness of data in various countries. However, at the same time, it may also give rise to a series of security issues. On the one hand, the confirmation of data ownership needs further clarification. Further clarification is needed on who are the true rights holders and what rights are enjoyed by the owners, producers, users, and managers of data. On the other hand, the security of personal privacy information and other data urgently needs to be taken seriously. Important reports such as the "2021 Global Risks Report" released by the World Economic Forum and the "Our Common Agenda" released by the United Nations have conducted in-depth discussions on issues such as cybersecurity risks and online space governance.

More consensus is needed on global digital governance. The rapid development of the digital economy has put forward higher requirements for international standards and rules in the digital field, but there is currently no unified international digital governance framework in the world. Taking the high-quality co construction of the "Digital Silk Road" as an opportunity, there is still a long way to go in promoting China's participation and voice in global digital governance.

The Digital Silk Road

Suggestions for Development Strategies

Continuously strengthen the construction of digital supporting facilities and consolidate the foundation of the development of the "Digital Silk Road". First, effectively improve the level of digital infrastructure in countries and regions along the "the Belt and Road". Including providing technical and financial support for the layout of digital facilities such as wireless base stations, computing power centers, optical cables, and data storage for the joint construction of the country. We should base ourselves on the stages and differences of digital development in various countries, and tailor the construction requirements of elevation levels according to local conditions. Secondly, we will focus on promoting and applying various digital technologies to empower industrial upgrading. Including increasing the development and application of technologies such as big data, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and virtual reality, promoting information network connectivity between China and co building countries, and taking multiple measures to further narrow the global digital divide. Finally, further strengthen digital cooperation with co building countries through the cultivation and exchange of digital talents. We will expand China's access to digital talents for studying abroad in the country of joint construction, promote technology assistance and capacity building in the field of digital economy, and make the dividends of digital economy development tangible to people all over the world.

We will strive to balance data openness and security, and build a strong legal guarantee for the "Digital Silk Road". Firstly, accelerate the construction of a data ownership system and promote it to countries that cooperate on the "Digital Silk Road". Explore the property rights system of "separation of ownership of data resources, processing and use of data, and operation of data products", divide data security responsibilities through legislation, and promote the orderly circulation and utilization of data. Secondly, explore the governance model of co construction and sharing of data elements, and break down the barriers to the circulation of data elements. Promote the co construction of the "the Belt and Road" fulcrum countries to jointly build a "digital relay station", jointly promote the systematic, large-scale and intelligent collection, sorting and exchange of data elements, and balance openness and security through data value sharing and risk sharing. In addition, more efficient data trading methods can be explored through price mechanisms to leverage the market's resource allocation capabilities and promote sustained appreciation of data resources. Finally, promote the construction of laws and regulations related to privacy protection and strengthen the protection of consumer rights and interests. Drawing on the "gatekeeper" system of the European Union's Digital Market Law, it is necessary to increase the power constraints and management of large digital enterprises, regulate the standards for the use of personal privacy data by enterprises, carry out full process control of data use and transactions, and ensure that sensitive information of consumers is not disclosed.

Deeply participate in global digital governance and deepen exchanges and cooperation on the "Digital Silk Road". Firstly, we will continue to improve the top-level design and institutional guarantees of the "Digital Silk Road", and promote the "soft connectivity" of standard rules around issues such as cross-border free flow of data, market access, and intellectual property protection. Make full use of international platforms such as the "the Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum and the World Internet Conference to jointly promote the formation of a "community of shared future" in the field of digital economy. Secondly, effectively promote the collaborative empowerment of regional digital protocol rules. It includes the implementation of digital agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP), the Beijing Initiative for International Cooperation on the "the Belt and Road" Digital Economy, and the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on the "Digital Silk Road", helping to reach more policy consensus and strengthen the synergistic enabling effect of the agreements. Finally, accelerate the negotiation process of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA), and participate extensively in international negotiations related to digital trade and e-commerce. And actively carry out pilot projects on some high standard digital trade rules in domestic free trade zones and ports, laying a solid foundation for further participation in global digital governance.