From 25 to 29 September, the 4th Global Digital Trade Expo will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang. The State Council Information Office gave a preview on 11 September.

       In the first half of this year, China’s digitally deliverable services trade reached RMB 1.5 trillion and cross-border e-commerce hit RMB 1.3 trillion, both record highs. “As a new form born from the deep integration of digital technology and international trade, digital trade is demonstrating strong resilience and potential by expanding boundaries, innovating models and empowering participants,” said Vice-Minister of Commerce Sheng Qiuping.

  Tech you can touch, the future you can feel  

       The expo will feature one “Future Tech Arena” plus seven themed zones showcasing cutting-edge advances—generative AI, multimodal sensory interaction and more—along with 30-plus industry, investment and financing match-making events designed to show how digital technology can power every sector and every household. A robotics contest and electronic-music festival will let visitors experience over 100 AI application scenarios in health, education, entertainment and transport.

  Open doors, global guests  

       More than 1,700 exhibitors have signed up, over 20 % of them international, including 70-plus Fortune-500 firms. Foreign buyers exceed 10,000, up 54 % year-on-year. Guest countries UAE and Indonesia will host national pavilions profiling their digital economies. Over 30 international organizations—the most ever—will attend, including UNCTAD, and more than 100 speakers will debate rules, regulations and standards for digital trade.

       Zhejiang Vice-Governor Lu Shan said the expo has already collected over RMB 4 billion in intended orders from Spain, Italy and others. For the first time a “Digital Trade Venture Capital Day” will match 100-plus home-grown tech projects with 100 top global VCs. UNESCO and UNCTAD will stage their own events, and themed days such as “Silk Road E-Commerce Day”, “Digital Africa Day” and a new “BRICS Special Economic Zones” session will spotlight digitalising time-honoured brands, smart national trends and new digital-life services. A “Buy in China 2025 Digital Carnival” will upgrade both supply-chain cooperation and consumer experience.

       Vice-Minister Sheng said the Ministry of Commerce will push high-quality digital-trade development, deepen domestic reforms and steadily open telecom, internet and cultural sectors, while aligning with high-standard international rules, building national digital-trade demonstration zones, innovating institutions, strengthening market entities and helping leading firms expand overseas.

Source: Xinhua News Agency