Nation promotes digital cooperation with Africa

China is ready to work with African countries to promote digital cooperation and achieve win-win and pragmatic results in the sector, officials and representatives from both sides said on April 2.

They made the remarks at the China-Africa Internet Development and Cooperation Forum held in the coastal city of Xiamen, Fujian province.

The two-day event, from Tuesday to Wednesday, is being attended by around 400 representatives from China and 20 African countries. It is hosted by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Fujian provincial government.

Zhuang Rongwen, the head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, said China and African countries have deepened cooperation in the digital economy, digital technology, cyberspace security and online media, which has injected new impetus into building a community with a shared future for China and Africa.

China is willing to promote upgraded digital cooperation with African countries on the basis of equal communication, mutual development and win-win results, and write a new chapter in the sector, he said.

Zhuang suggested the two sides should stick to mutually beneficial cooperation and share the development opportunity brought by the information revolution.

They should also help each other safeguard the safety and security of the online space, adhere to openness and inclusiveness to promote mutual learning in online civilization, and conform to justice and reason to improve the global internet governance system, he said.

Zhou Zuyi, Party secretary of Fujian province, said Fujian is the birthplace for the notion of building a digital China.

The province has close interaction with Africa and cooperation between the two sides has deepened in recent years, he said.

Fujian will expand its cooperation with Africa in the internet sector, promote the building of information infrastructure and the digital economy, and increase the level of digital public services.

It will also work with African countries to safeguard online security, share development opportunities and achieve win-win results in the digital era, to make greater contributions to the development of Sino-Africa relations, he added.

Representatives from Africa said China is a strategic partner in the digital sector. They hope the two sides will advance mutually beneficial cooperation, promote digital infrastructure in Africa, facilitate the development of digital entrepreneurship, innovation and commerce, strengthen international digital cooperation and promote the building of a China-Africa community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Apart from the main forum, there are four sub-forums focusing on sharing development opportunities in the digital economy, expanding online media cooperation between China and Africa, strengthening online security, and the development and governance of artificial intelligence.

The sub-forum on expanding China-Africa online media cooperation is hosted by the China Daily website, which aims to tell the stories of friendship between the two sides through online media platforms, offer new solutions for cooperation and strengthen mutual understanding between the two peoples.