Beijing holds global digital economy conference

The 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference kicked off Wednesday in Beijing under the theme "Building a Digital-Friendly City." The event aims to strengthen international cooperation across technology, economy, and culture, while showcasing Beijing's efforts of becoming a global model for the digital economy.

At the opening ceremony, Beijing and several partner cities launched the Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance, which will focus on digital infrastructure, cross-border data governance, AI ethics, and smart city development. The city also introduced the Global Digital-Friendly Initiative, outlining principles such as building a shared community of digital-friendly development, following a people-centered approach, and promoting inclusive technological innovation. 

Beijing has been a pioneer in the digital economy. For example, the city has advanced autonomous driving technology from pilot testing to commercial deployment, and facilitated "one-stop" online government services to better serve residents.

Looking ahead, the Chinese capital plans to expand supercomputing infrastructure, improve AI capabilities, and foster new tech applications in healthcare, education, and public services.

The conference also highlighted a wave of Chinese innovations. A new science literature platform developed by Chinese institutions was unveiled, while domestic companies presented advanced industrial AI solutions, including intelligent manufacturing systems powered by Chinese-made GPUs, which have already been adopted by major enterprises.

Alongside technological advances, Chinese enterprises are also promoting an AI development principle known as "AI for good." Nearly 50 leading companies, including Lenovo and Baidu, joined an expanded alliance committed to responsible, human-centered AI development.

The conference also featured an exhibition area, helping debut many new products and technologies, demonstrate latest achievements, and offer a platform for targeted industry matchmaking. A highlight of the exhibits was a pair of AR translation glasses supporting over 100 languages with near-instant subtitles.