On January 12, 2026, Cuban Vice Minister of Communications Ailyn Febles Estrada led a delegation to Haidian and visited Zhongguancun Smart City Co., Ltd for an exchange session. The delegation was accompanied by officials from China Economic Cooperation Center (CECC) of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee and relevant departments of Haidian District. The two sides held discussions on cooperation in AI, digital technology, and other related fields, following a tour of the exhibition hall.
At the beginning of the visit, the delegation visited the City Brain Exhibition and Experience Center, Zhongguancun Science City, Haidian. They gained a detailed understanding of Zhongguancun Smart City’s innovative achievements and application cases in cutting-edge areas such as AI, big data, the Internet of Things, and large language models. The delegation paid particular attention to its deployment and practical applications in urban governance, public security, community management, and business environment regulation, and experienced firsthand Haidian’s advanced practices and capabilities in technological innovation.
During the subsequent discussion, representatives of Zhongguancun Smart City provided a systematic introduction to the company’s development history, core businesses, and key technologies. They shared in detail the company’s multi-domain intelligent agent products and their practical applications in smart transportation, public safety, primary healthcare, and utilization of data as a production factor.
Febles expressed her appreciation for the arrangements made by the Chinese side and voiced her support for President Xi Jinping’s important statement on “promoting extensive international cooperation on AI, as well as endeavors to help the Global South enhance its technological capacity building, and contributing China’s effort in the drive to bridge the global AI divide”. She hoped to take it as an opportunity to implement the consensus reached by the leaders of both countries. She also introduced Cuba’s digital reform and AI development plans, expressed willingness to strengthen cooperation in digital infrastructure, data management, technology exchange, and talent development, and looked forward to deepening collaboration with Haidian District in IT and AI.
Officials from relevant departments of Haidian District provided a comprehensive overview of the district’s profile and development plans. As one of Beijing’s central districts, Haidian covers 430 square kilometers and is home to 3.13 million permanent residents. In the first three quarters of 2025, its GDP reached RMB one trillion, accounting for over 26% of Beijing’s total. Leveraging the strengths of 37 universities and numerous research institutions, and guided by the principle of “pooling all our resources to complete major missions”, Haidian has developed a “1+X+1” modern industrial system. The system is supported by AI and sci-tech services as the two foundational pillars(“1s”), and focuses on strategic emerging and future industries.
Officials from CECC noted that China-Cuba friendship has a long history and continues to deepen. This year marks the beginning of China’s 15thFive-Year Plan, with self-reliance and strength in science and technology as a key priority. Cuba has solid foundations in communications technology and agricultural informatization, offering significant potential for bilateral cooperation. CECC will continue to serve as a bridge, supporting relevant departments, local governments, and enterprises of both countries in strengthening sci-tech exchanges, sharing achievements, and advancing practical cooperation to further promote bilateral relations and benefit both peoples.
At the conclusion of the discussion, Vice Minister Febles again expressed her appreciation for the arrangements of this exchange and proposed taking it as a new starting point to further define cooperation priorities and translate outcomes into concrete results. She also warmly invited Chinese representatives to attend the Cuban Science and Technology Conference scheduled for March 2026. The conference, which has been held for over 20 years and receives strong attention from Cuba’s national leadership, includes seminars and forums that serve as an important platform for exchanges among the global science and technology community.
