On June 20 and 21, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Coordinated Transformation for Digital and Green Development was held in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. The seminar was sponsored by the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission and organized by the Provincial Internet Information Office. More than 200 representatives from national ministries and commissions, including the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Ecological Environment, and the APEC Secretariat participated online and offline. Dr. Liu Qinghai, director of the Institute of Economics at the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University (IASZNU), was invited to attend the meeting.

At the opening ceremony, Niu Yibing, deputy director of the Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission; Wang Zhijun, deputy secretary of Heilongjiang Provincial Party Committee; Rebecca Sta Maria, executive director of the APEC Secretariat; Teo Nie Ching, deputy minister of Communications and Multimedia Department of Malaysia; and Sun Dong, secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) delivered speeches at the conference successively.

During the seminar, leaders from various departments in China, Malaysia, Russia, Singapore, Australia, and other countries and regions, along with representatives from GSMA, Intel, Ant Group, IBM, the US-China Business Council, SAP, Tesla, Kaspersky, Amazon Cloud Technology, Microsoft, the KKR Investment Group, universities, think tanks, and guests from enterprises and other fields, were in attendance. The three thematic discussions were held on “promoting the green and low-carbon development of the digital industry,” “accelerating the green transformation of traditional industries empowered by digital technology,” and “playing the leading role of green transformation in the digital industry.” The participants shared the practice, experience, and insights of achieving green development in the process of promoting digital transformation. The attending representatives also visited Shenzhen (Harbin) Industrial Park, Yanjiagang Farm in the Great Northern Wilderness, and other places for field research and investigation of the practical achievements of digital and green development in Heilongjiang.

Conference hall of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Coordinated Transformation for Digital and Green Development.

Dr. Liu Qinghai was invited to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Workshop on Coordinated Transformation for Digital and Green Development.

This seminar serves as a valuable platform for policy makers and industry stakeholders to exchange ideas and foster cooperation. It facilitates the consolidation of high-end resources in the Asia-Pacific region, enabling the green development of the digital economy in the region. Moreover, it promotes the seamless integration of emerging technologies such as the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, 5G, and green low-carbon industries with traditional sectors. This synergy promotes the development of new industries, conserves energy, reduces emissions, encourages technological innovation, and supports sustainable growth. (By Liu Qinghai)