Global businesses call for more cooperation in digital era for common development

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) -- Global business and trade leaders on Thursday came together at the Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit 2025 to launch a Beijing Initiative, calling for further cooperation in the digital era to drive global growth and shared prosperity.

The Beijing Initiative proposes the construction of a smart digital collaboration system to safeguard the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains, as well as the sharing of the dividends of digital technologies to foster an open, fair innovation ecosystem.

The initiative calls for efforts to build a global supply chain collaboration platform powered by smart digital technologies, for enhanced connectivity in AI and digital infrastructure, for the application of digital and AI technologies to empower the real economy, and for deepened international cooperation along industrial and supply chains.

It urges efforts to leverage new advantages in the smart digital era to promote more open, convenient global trade and investment, and to strengthen the application of digital technologies to support the transition toward green, low-carbon development.

It encourages the development of emerging forms of trade such as cross-border e-commerce, digital trade and trade in services, and seeks to ensure that all economies truly share the benefits of digitalization.

The initiative supports the healthy development of AI to enhance people's well-being, encourages deeper cooperation within the global business community, and promotes sustainable development worldwide.

Hosted by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the Global Trade and Investment Promotion Summit has been held for four consecutive years, gradually becoming an important institutional platform for dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation within the global business community.

This year's summit focuses on the themes of embracing the era of digital intelligence and working together for common development.

Over 800 representatives of government departments, international organizations, chambers of commerce, associations, trade promotion bodies and enterprises attended the summit.