“Proposal for International Cooperation on the “One Belt, One Road” Digital Economy”

The digital economy is a driver for global economic growth that becomes more important every day, and is playing an ever more important role in accelerating economic development, enhancing labour productivity in existing industries, fostering new markets and new industrial growth points, realizing inclusive growth and sustainable growth. In order to expand cooperation in the digital economy area, as countries supporting the “One Belt, One Road” initiative, we will, on the basis of the principles of interconnection and interaction, innovation and development, openness and cooperation, harmony and inclusivity, mutual benefit and win-win, explore the common use of digital opportunities and response to challenge, strive to realize an interconnected and interactive “Digital Silk Road” through strengthening policy communication, infrastructure linkages, trade facilitation, financial flows and interlinking popular sentiment, and forge a mutually beneficial, win-win “community of interests” and a “community of destiny” for common development and flourishing. To this end, on the basis of voluntarity and non-restraint, we put forward the following proposal:

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1. Expanding broadband access, raising broadband quality. Build and perfect regional telecommunications, Internet, satellite navigation and other such important information infrastructure, stimulate interconnection and interaction, explore the expansion of high-speed Internet access and connectivity measures at a bearable price, stimulate broadband network coverage, improve service capabilities and quality.

2. Stimulating the digital transformation. Stimulate the digitization of agricultural production, operations and management, as well as the networked transformation of agricultural product distribution. Encourage digital technologies to converge with the manufacturing sector, build an ever more linked, networked and smart manufacturing sector. Use information and telecommunications technology to improve cultural education, healthcare and medicine, environmental protection, urban planning and other public services. Stimulate the sustained development of service sectors such as smart logistics, online tourism, mobile payment, digital creativity and the shared economy. 

3. Stimulate e-commerce cooperation. Explore the feasibility of establishing information sharing, mutual trust and mutual recognition mechanisms for cross-border e-commerce credit, customs passage, inspection, quarantine, consumer protection and other such areas, strengthen cooperation in areas such as financial payment, storage and logistics, technology services, offline exhibitions, etc. Strengthen cooperation in consumer rights protection.  

4. Support Internet start-ups and innovation. Encourage the promotion of Internet-based research, development and innovation through beneficial and transparent legal frameworks, and support Internet-based start-ups. Use the Internet to stimulate innovation in products, services, processes, organizational and commercial models. 

5. Stimulate the development of small, mid-size and micro enterprises. Stimulate small, mid-size and micro enterprises to use information and telecommunication technologies to conduct innovation, raise competitiveness and open up new market sales channels through policy support. Promote the provision of required digital infrastructure to small, mid-size and micro enterprises at bearable prices. Encourage small, mid-size and micro enterprises to provide information and telecommunication products and services to public departments, and enter into global value chains. 

6. Strengthen digitized skills training. Increase the public’s digitized skills levels, ensure that they obtain gains from the development of the digital economy. Launch on-the-job training for digital skills, enhance employees’ digital skills. Encourage government departments, universities, research bodies and enterprises to vigorously launch training programmes, and stimulate the popularization and improvement of digital skills. 

7. Stimulating investment in the information and telecommunications technology area. Improve the commercial environment through stimulating research, development and innovation as well as investment, including cross-border investment in the digital economy. Promote all kinds of financial bodies, multilateral development bodies, etc., to invest in information and telecommunications technology infrastructure and applications, guide commercial share investment funds as well as social funds to invest in the area of the digital economy, encourage public-private partnership relations and other such forms of participation. Encourage the organization of investment information exchange activities between information and telecommunications technology enterprises and financial bodies, encourage reciprocal investment in the information and telecommunications technology area.

8. Promoting inter-city digital economy cooperation. Stimulate relevant cities to launch twinning cooperation, support the establishment of strategic cooperation relationships between twinned cities, drive international traffic and logistics, enhance quality and increase efficiency through constructing information infrastructure, promoting information sharing, stimulating information technology cooperation, and stimulating Internet trading services. Explore the establishment of “Digital Silk Road” economic cooperation demonstration areas. Encourage and support relevant cities in establishing “Digital Silk Road” economic demonstration areas within these cities, promote profound bilateral cooperation in areas such as information infrastructure, smart cities, e-commerce, long-distance healthcare, “Internet Plus”, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc.

9. Increasing digital inclusivity. Adopt many kinds of policy measures and technological measures to reduce the digital divide, including the digital divide between countries and within countries, and forcefully stimulate the proliferation of the Internet. Stimulate the use of digital technologies in school education and non-official education, promote the realization of broadband access for schools and equip them with online learning environments, so that ever more students can use digitized tools and resources in pursuit of learning. Strengthen the development of digital content such as excellent online games, cartoons, audiovisual materials, literature, music and knowledge resources, and stimulate exchange between the cultures of all countries, and a meeting of people’s hearts.

10. Encouraging and fostering transparent digital economy policies. Develop and maintain an open, transparent and inclusive digital economy policy formulation method. Encourage the dissemination of related and publishable government data, and understand the potential of these in driving new technologies, new products and new services. Encourage online open tendering and procurement, support enterprises in innovating digital product production and services, and simultaneously ensure that demand is market-led. 

11. Furthering international standardization cooperation. Propose the formulation and application of international standards for technology products and services developed through joint coordination, these international standards should maintain consistency with international norms including the norms and principles of the World Trade Organization. 

12. Strengthening confidence and trust. Strengthen the feasibility, completeness, secrecy and reliability of online transactions. Encourage the development of secure information infrastructure, in order to stimulate trustworthy, stable and reliable Internet applications. Strengthen international cooperation in the area of online trading, jointly attack cybercrime and protect the information and telecommunications technology environment. Through ensuring and respecting privacy and protecting personal data, establish confidence among users, this is a critical factor influencing the development of the digital economy.

13. Encourage and stimulate cooperation while respecting autonomous development paths. Encourage all countries along the Belt and Road to strengthen exchange and enhance mutual understanding, strengthen cooperation in policy formulation, supervision and management, reduce, eliminate or prevent unnecessary differences in supervision and management requirement, in order to liberate the vitality of the digital economy, simultaneously understand that all countries should preserve consistency with their international legal obligations, and that they will plan their development path no the basis of their own development situation, historical and cultural traditions, national legal systems and national development strategies.

14. Encouraging the joint construction of a peaceful, secure, open, cooperative and ordered cyberspace. Support information and telecommunication technology policies that safeguard the global nature of the Internet, permit Internet users to  lawfully and autonomously choose the information, knowledge and services they obtain online. Understand that cybersovereignty must be fully respected, safeguard cybersecurity, determinedly attack cyberterrorism and cybercrime, protect personal privacy and information security, and promote the establishment of a multilateral, democratic and transparent international Internet governance system. 

15. Encouraging the establishment of multi-level exchange mechanisms. Stimulate all sides, governments, enterprises, scientific research bodies, and sectoral organizations to communicate and interact, share viewpoints, and promote cooperation in the digital economy. Strengthen training, research and cooperation in the area of the digital economy. Strengthen exchanges about policy formulation and legislative experiences among the “Belt-Road Initiative” countries, and share best practices. Launch the construction of digital technology capabilities, welcome and encourage the United Nations Trade and Development Committee, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the International Telecommunications Union and other such international organizations to play an important role in driving international cooperation on the “Belt-Road Initiative” digital economy.

(Signed by China, Laos, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates)

《“一带一路”数字经济国际合作倡议》全文如下：

    数字经济是全球经济增长日益重要的驱动力，在加速经济发展、提高现有产业劳动生产率、培育新市场和产业新增长点、实现包容性增长和可持续增长中正发挥着重要作用。为拓展数字经济领域的合作，作为支持“一带一路”倡议的相关国家，我们将本着互联互通、创新发展、开放合作、和谐包容、互利共赢的原则，探讨共同利用数字机遇、应对挑战，通过加强政策沟通、设施联通、贸易畅通、资金融通和民心相通，致力于实现互联互通的“数字丝绸之路”，打造互利共赢的“利益共同体”和共同发展繁荣的“命运共同体”。为此，在基于自愿、不具约束力基础上，我们提出以下倡议：

    1.扩大宽带接入，提高宽带质量。建设完善区域通信、互联网、卫星导航等重要信息基础设施，促进互联互通，探索以可负担的价格扩大高速互联网接入和连接的方式，促进宽带网络覆盖、提高服务能力和质量。

    2.促进数字化转型。促进农业生产、运营、管理的数字化，以及农产品配送的网络化转型。鼓励数字技术与制造业融合，建设一个更加连接的、网络化、智能化的制造业。利用信息通信技术改善文化教育、健康医疗、环境保护、城市规划和其他公共服务。促进智慧物流、在线旅游、移动支付、数字创意和分享经济等服务业的持续发展。

    3.促进电子商务合作。探索在跨境电子商务信用、通关和检验检疫、消费者保护等领域建立信息共享和互信互认机制的可行性，加强金融支付、仓储物流、技术服务、线下展示等方面的合作。加强消费者权益保护合作。 4.支持互联网创业创新。鼓励通过有利和透明的法律框架，推动基于互联网的研发和创新，支持基于互联网的创业。利用互联网促进产品、服务、流程、组织和商业模式的创新。

    5.促进中小微企业发展。通过政策支持，促进中小微企业使用信息通信技术进行创新、提高竞争力、开辟新的市场销售渠道。推动以可负担的价格为中小微企业运营提供所需的数字基础设施。鼓励中小微企业为公共部门提供信息通信产品和服务，融入全球价值链。

    6.加强数字化技能培训。提升公众数字化技能水平，确保从数字经济发展中获益。开展数字技能的在职培训，提升从业人员的数字技能。鼓励政府部门、大学和研究机构、企业积极开展培训项目，促进数字技能的普及和提升。

    7.促进信息通信技术领域的投资。通过促进研发和创新（RDI）以及投资，包括数字经济跨境投资等方面的政策框架，改善商业环境。推动各类金融机构、多边开发机构等投资信息通信技术基础设施和应用，引导商业股权投资基金以及社会基金向数字经济领域投资，鼓励公私伙伴关系（PPP）等参与形式。鼓励组织信息通信技术企业和金融机构间的投资信息交流活动，鼓励在信息通信技术领域相互投资。

    8.推动城市间的数字经济合作。推动有关城市开展对点合作，支持对点城市间建立战略合作关系，通过信息基础设施建设、推动信息共享、促进信息技术合作、推进互联网经贸服务和加强人文交流，带动国际交通物流提质增效。探索建设“数字丝绸之路”经济合作试验区。鼓励支持有关城市在各自城市分别建立“数字丝绸之路”经济合作试验区，推动双方在信息基础设施、智慧城市、电子商务、远程医疗、 “互联网+”、物联网、人工智能等领域的深度合作。

    9.提高数字包容性。采取多种政策措施和技术手段来缩小数字鸿沟，包括各国之间和各国之内的数字鸿沟，大力推进互联网普及。促进数字技术在学校教育及非正式教育中的使用，推动实现学校宽带接入并具备网络教学环境，越来越多的学生可以利用数字化工具和资源进行学习。加强各自的优秀网络游戏、动漫、影视、文学、音乐和知识资源等数字内容开发，促进各国文化交流、民心交融。

    10.鼓励培育透明的数字经济政策。发展和保持公开、透明、包容的数字经济政策制定方式。鼓励发布相关的、可公开的政府数据，并认识到这些对于带动新技术、新产品、新服务的潜力。鼓励在线公开招标采购，支持企业创新数字产品生产和服务，同时保持需求由市场主导。

    11.推进国际标准化合作。倡导共同协作开发相关技术产品和服务的国际标准的制定和应用，这些国际标准应与包括世贸组织规则和原则在内的国际规则保持一致。

    12.增强信心和信任。增强在线交易的可用性、完整性、保密性和可靠性。鼓励发展安全的信息基础设施，以促进可信、稳定和可靠的互联网应用。加强在线交易方面的国际合作，共同打击网络犯罪和保护信息通信技术环境。通过确保尊重隐私和个人数据保护，树立用户信心，这是影响数字经济发展的关键因素。

    13.鼓励促进合作并尊重自主发展道路。鼓励沿线各国加强交流、增进相互了解，加强政策制定、监管领域的合作，减少、消除或防止不必要的监管要求的差异，以释放数字经济的活力，同时认识到所有国家应与其国际法律义务保持一致，并根据各自的发展情况、历史文化传统、国家法律体系和国家发展战略来规划发展道路。

    14.鼓励共建和平、安全、开放、合作、有序的网络空间。支持维护互联网全球属性的信息通信技术政策，允许互联网使用者依法自主选择获得在线信息、知识和服务。认识到必须充分尊重网络主权，维护网络安全，坚决打击网络恐怖主义和网络犯罪，保护个人隐私和信息安全，推动建立多边、民主、透明的国际互联网治理体系。

    15.鼓励建立多层次交流机制。促进政府、企业、科研机构、行业组织等各方沟通交流、分享观点，推动数字经济合作。加强数字经济方面的培训和研究合作。加强“一带一路”国家间交流政策制定和立法经验，分享最佳实践。开展数字技术能力建设，欢迎和鼓励联合国贸易和发展会议、联合国工业发展组织、经济合作与发展组织、国际电信联盟和其他国际组织，在推动“一带一路”数字经济国际合作中发挥重要作用。