China, ASEAN to Boost Digital Economy
Last year was designated the China-ASEAN Year of Digital Economy Cooperation.
Virtual map of digital economy. (PHOTO: VCG)
The 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and related meetings were held from October 26 to 28 via video conferences, focusing on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and promoting economic recovery.
With the theme "We care, we prepare, we prosper," the ASEAN meetings were joined by leaders from ASEAN's dialogue partners, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, the United States, Australia and Russia, and representatives of other countries.
The summits covered a number of issues including further strengthening the capacity of the ASEAN Community towards post-COVID-19 economic recovery and enhancing ASEAN's readiness to tackle common challenges, while seizing new opportunities to pursue shared prosperity.
The significance of the digital economy was highlighted as a driver of economic recovery. "We need to promote the digital economy in East Asia. China will host the APT Young Scientists Forum and other activities to help regional countries bridge the digital divide," said Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the 24th China-ASEAN leaders' meeting via video link.
Last year was designated the China-ASEAN Year of Digital Economy Cooperation. With 125,000 new users coming onto the Internet every day, the ASEAN digital economy is expected to grow significantly, adding an estimated 1 trillion USD to regional GDP over the next ten years, according to the World Economic Forum.
In January 2021, the first ASEAN Digital Ministers'Meeting approved the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025, to support the region's recovery from COVID-19 through facilitating cross-border trade and building a digitally inclusive society.
Wang Ruijie, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Policy Coordination and Finance, said that looking ahead, with rapid growth of the digital economy, the closer economic coordination between ASEAN and China will "benefit both parties more."
