CRNTT:

Silk Road e-commerce has become a prominent aspect of BRI cooperation. What advantages does Silk Road e-commerce offer for the development of China and BRI partner countries, and what are its future prospects? Thank you.

Guo Tingting:

After more than six years of development, international cooperation through "Silk Road e-commerce," an essential measure for BRI implementation, has become a new platform for multilateral and bilateral economic and trade cooperation as well as a new highlight for the high-quality joint pursuit of the BRI. Currently, bilateral e-commerce cooperation memorandums have been signed with 30 countries. At the same time, tangible achievements have been made through e-commerce cooperation dialogues between China and Central and Eastern European countries, as well as with five Central Asian countries. Tangible progress has also been made in e-commerce cooperation under the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, BRICS and other mechanisms. The achievements can be summarized as "three joint efforts."

The first joint effort is to seize market opportunities together. We have assisted "Silk Road e-commerce" partner countries in expanding sales channels for high-quality featured products with a series of activities, including online shopping festivals featuring quality African products, "Buy BRICS," and the promotion of premium ASEAN products. These activities have received positive feedback from governments and businesses in their respective countries. Additionally, we encourage domestic enterprises to "go global," thereby accelerating the growth of e-commerce markets and industries in partner countries.

The second joint effort is to promote digital development together. We have offered practical and tailored training courses for partner country governments and businesses to enhance their capability to develop e-commerce. Through our "online classrooms," we have conducted widely-welcomed livestreaming training courses for over 80 countries.

The third joint effort is to advance regulatory connectivity together. We have consistently prioritized connectivity of regulations and norms. We have hosted over 100 meetings to promote government-enterprise dialogue and cooperation among enterprises. We have shared our experience in e-commerce development through these engagements. Furthermore, we encourage enterprises to facilitate the "soft connectivity" of technologies and standards through industrial chain cooperation.

Going forward, we will align with global digital economic development trends and leverage "Silk Road e-commerce" to enhance economic and trade cooperation in the digital field with our partner countries. On the one hand, we will consistently optimize the cooperation platform, actively support partner countries' aspirations, and promote deeper collaboration through platforms such as the Global Digital Trade Expo. We will also expedite the establishment of the "Silk Road e-commerce" cooperation pilot zone and explore new measures and approaches for cooperation. We will also continuously expand the scope of our cooperative fields as well as strengthen policy dialogue, industrial connection, sub-national cooperation, and capacity building. We will also accelerate the development of emerging sectors, including digital payment and intelligent logistics. With these endeavors, we hope to foster digital development and share these opportunities with partner countries. Thank you.