On June 12, the China-Central Asia Digital Economy Cooperation Seminar, hosted by ZUFE, was held at the Academic Center of Xiasha Campus. Vice President Zheng Yali attended the conference and delivered a speech. Representatives from industry, academia, government, and research sectors gathered onsite, bringing experts from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade, LianLian DigiTech Co., Ltd., and Alibaba 1688. All participants engaged in lively exchanges and in-depth discussions centered around the theme of “Strengthening Digital Economy Cooperation between China and Central Asia”.
In her address, Vice President Zheng Yali pointed out that developing the digital economy is of great significance and represents a strategic choice to seize new opportunities presented by the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation. China and Central Asia, connected by mountains and rivers, share a long-standing traditional friendship. The joint implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has brought their destinies even closer. Developing the digital economy and sharing the dividends of data not only align with the common development interests of both sides but also represent the requirement of the times of building an even closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
At the seminar, Ma Shuzhong, Dean of the Digital Trade Research Institute of Zhejiang University and Changjiang Scholar Distinguished Professor, shared insights on what digital trade barriers are and how to break them down to promote high-quality development of digital trade. Zhang Ning, Director of the Central Asia Research Office of the Institute of Russian, Eastern European & Central Asian Studies, CASS, presented an overview of digital development in Central Asian countries from multiple perspectives and stated China Central Asia digital cooperation boasts promising prospects. Li Xinshi, Second-level Inspector of the Zhejiang Council for the Promotion of International Trade, shared his personal experiences and observations on trade between Zhejiang and Central Asian countries, emphasizing that future efforts will focus on facilitating connections through “Zhejiang Merchants Going Global”, strengthening support through think tank development and providing robust guarantees through professional services to elevate Zhejiang’s cooperation with Central Asia to new heights.
Wu Changhong, Member of Party Leadership Group of Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Commerce and Full-time Deputy Director of the Hangzhou Area Management Committee of China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone, shared her views from three perspectives, “cross-border e-commerce development in Hangzhou”, “the demand and potential of Central Asia in cross-border e-commerce”, and “future cooperation possibilities between Hangzhou and Central Asia”. Participating enterprise representatives including Sun Dali, President of LianLian DigiTech Co., Ltd., Liu Yu from Merit Interactive Co., Ltd. and Yao Ouying, Head of the Pan-Central Asia Region of 1688 Cross-border, engaged in lively discussions based on their professional experiences. They actively exchanged views and stories on topics such as “Digital Intelligence Going Global, Payment Worldwide”, “Digital Intelligence Empowering Smooth Journeys”, and “New Opportunities in Global Cross-border Trade”, sparking vibrant ideas.
In recent years, ZUFE has consistently taken serving national strategies and local economic development as its mission, comprehensively advancing the “"New Finance and Economics Strategy"”, deeply implementing the talent cultivation model reform of “Finance & Economics with Digital Intelligence” “Finance & Economics with Technology” and “Finance & Economics plus Industry”. It has also activelydeveloped emerging interdisciplinary fields such as digital economy, digital trade and digital finance, and established the Institute for Central Asia Studies, ZUFE. This year, ZUFE has also filed for the establishment of a doctoral program in the secondary discipline of Central Asian Economy, dedicated to fostering versatile and interdisciplinary digital talents for the modern era. Moving forward, ZUFE will continue to deepen its efforts in the field of Central Asian Economy, focusing on areas such as the development of think tanks on China-Central Asia digital economy and the cultivation of digital economy talents, while working together with industry, academia, government, and research to explore innovative and actionable solutions. Through these efforts, ZUFE will contribute its wisdom and strength to building an even-closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future.
(Editor: Che Peng)
