On the morning of July 2, the 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference opened in Beijing. Themed “Building a Digital-Friendly City”, the conference is co-hosted by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality, Cyberspace Administration of China, National Data Administration, Xinhua News Agency, and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance was launched during the opening ceremony. Yin Li, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee; Zhuang Rongwen, Vice Minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, Director of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, and Minister of the Cyberspace Administration of China; and Fu Hua, President of Xinhua News Agency, delivered speeches. Yin Yong, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Beijing Municipal Committee and Mayor of Beijing, presided over the opening ceremony.

Yin Li stated that the digital economy has been playing a leading role in sci-tech revolutions and industrial transformations. Attaching great importance to the development of the digital economy, President Xi Jinping said that “the digital economy represents the direction of global development in the future” and that “it is imperative to foster an open, inclusive, and non-discriminatory environment for the digital economy”. He also emphasized the significanceof enabling digital civilizations to benefit all peoples. Beijing boasts abundant resources of technology and talent. The digital industrialization and industrial digitalization in Beijing are demonstrating robust momentum, with the value-added output of digital economy exceeding RMB 2.2 trillion last year, accounting for 45% of the city’s GDP. Looking ahead, we will embrace a people-centered and AI-for-good digital future and accelerate developing Beijing into a global pacesetter in the digital economy. We stand ready to collaborate with relevant parties to foster a technology-friendly innovation ecosystem that drives digital technology breakthroughs. A global network and shared platform for digital technology innovation will be built to produce more landmark achievements in cutting-edge fields such as AI, blockchain, quantum information, and 6G. Concerted efforts will be intensifiedto foster a favorable market environment and enhance competitive edges in the digital field. We will expeditethe development of a comprehensive national pilot zone for data as a factor of production. This initiative will establish national centers for data management, data resources, and data trading, in order to deepen the integration of digital and real economies and build advanced digital industrial clusters. Through jointly developing digital applications for various scenarios, we can deliver greater benefits to the public. We will transform Beijing into a “city of 10-gigabit fiber optic internet services” by upgrading digital infrastructure and fostering innovations in intelligent transportation, smart healthcare, and digital cultural tourism. An open and friendly governance system will be established to reinforce international cooperation in the digital field. We will advance institutional opening-up in digital standards and rules, conduct pilot reforms on cross-border data flows, and promote global cooperation and mutual learning among digital-friendly cities.

In his speech, Zhuang Rongwen said that cities serve as comprehensive platforms for advancing digital transformations. We should strengthen innovation-driven development by prioritizing original technologies and innovative scenarios, thus cultivating a strong impetus for the city’s high-quality development. We should enhance digital empowerment by advancing innovations in urban management approaches, models, and concepts, thereby delivering more efficient, precise, and intelligent governance. We should stay people-centered by deepening the integration of digital intelligent technologies and public services and advancing one-stop government online services, so that urban development can bring greater benefits to the people. We should promote cooperation and win-win results by facilitating exchanges and cooperation ondigital economyamong cities and conducting international collaborationin fields such as AI. The Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission will continue to support Beijing in building itself into a global pacesetter in the digital economysector, thereby enhancing urban vitality and contributing to the development of the global digital economy.

Fu Hua stated that to build digital-friendly cities, we should adopt a people-centered approach, prioritize equality and inclusiveness, and unlock the synergistic potential of digital technology and culture. Xinhua News Agency stands ready to strengthen cooperation with all parties and leverage its unique advantages as China’s national news agency, a global news organization, and a new think tank with Chinese characteristics, so as to facilitateChina’sdecision-makingand arrangements ondevelopingdigital economy, while comprehensively showcasing China’s latest progress in building digital-friendly cities. It will tell vivid stories of city-to-city exchanges between China and other countries, conduct an in-depth study on important topics such as urban development and digital friendliness, and meticulously organize events such as the Global Digital Economy Conference. These efforts aim to make contributions to developing the digital economy and building digital-friendly cities.

At the opening ceremony, speeches were delivered by Liu Liehong, Member of the CPC Leadership Group of the National Development and Reform Commission and Administrator of the National Data Administration; Beate Trankmann, the UNDP Resident Representative in China; Jean Tirole, Nobel Laureate in Economic Sciences; and Rakhimova Durdona, Deputy Khokim of Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

The attendees included leaders from relevant central government departments and Beijing municipality; co-chairs of the GDEC International Advisory Committee; representatives of relevant international organizations and cities; diplomatic envoys from various countries in China; and persons in charge of enterprises, universities, institutions, and associations, along with experts and scholars from home and abroad.