HONG KONG, Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — On November 21, China Telecom Gulf was officially launched in Riyadh. This milestone marks a significant step in China Telecom’s efforts to provide deep services under the “Belt and Road Initiative” and to promote the building of a “China-Arab Community with a Shared Future.” It signifies another solid advancement on China Telecom’s path toward internationalization. Mr. Liu Guiqing, Executive Director and EVP of China Telecom Corporation, delivered an opening speech, along with Mr. Fawaz, Representative of Contact Office of Chinese Companies in the KSA, Deputy General Manager of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Riyadh Branch. Over 100 guests and leaders from the Economic and Commercial Office of Embassy of the PRC of the KSA, Saudi Telecom Company(STC), Bank of China, Huawei, and others attended to witness this momentous occasion.

In his address, Mr. Liu Guiqing emphasized China Telecom’s commitment to openness, cooperation, and mutual benefit. He expressed the company’s willingness to share its experiences in cloud-network integration, cloud transformation, intelligent operations, and technological innovation. China Telecom aims to work closely with various levels of Saudi governments, enterprises, and partners to actively participate in the development of local digital infrastructure, drive the rapid advancement of next-generation information technologies, and establish a robust bridge for cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in the field of information technology. Leveraging its extensive resources and global operational capabilities, China Telecom plans to bring its strengths in 5G, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and other fields to provide innovative, high-quality communication products and services to Saudi enterprises, institutions, and consumers.

Mr. Fawaz extended his warm congratulations on the opening of China Telecom Gulf. He highlighted that as a leading global provider of communication services, China Telecom possesses abundant cloud-network resources and mature international service capabilities. The establishment of China Telecom Gulf is a significant step toward supporting the digital transformation of businesses in the region. He expressed confidence that through joint efforts, the company will seize opportunities in the digital era and contribute to Saudi Arabia’s socio-economic development and practical cooperation between China and Saudi Arabia in various fields.

China Telecom showcased its global resources, business capabilities, and its investments and partnerships in the Middle East and Africa. Key services introduced included eSurfing Cloud, computing power solutions, quantum technology, and customized 5G networks. Currently, China Telecom operates branches in 42 countries and regions worldwide, owns 53 international submarine cables, and manages 27 self-operated Internet Data Centers (IDCs). Its cloud-network integrated infrastructure and customer-centric digital service systems provide coverage across the globe.

During the event, China Telecom Gulf signed strategic cooperation agreements with Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Huawei Saudi Arabia, and Baud Telecom Company. The parties committed to deep collaboration, leveraging their respective strengths to provide optimized and convenient digital experiences to Saudi customers.

The establishment of China Telecom’s presence in Saudi Arabia marks a major milestone in the company’s entry into the Middle Eastern communications market, representing a key development in its global strategy. Moving forward, China Telecom Gulf will leverage China Telecom’s robust digital infrastructure and resource integration capabilities. We will collaborate closely with local Saudi enterprises, Chinese businesses expanding internationally, and global companies to strengthen cooperation and enhance exchanges. The company aims to contribute to the growth of Sino-Saudi and Middle Eastern industrial cooperation, continuously offering more smart solutions for the development of the Middle East’s digital economy, while striving to become a world-class provider of digital and intelligent technology services.

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SOURCE China Telecom Global

BEIJING, Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — A news report from chinadaily.com.cn：

Representatives discuss hot topics faced by countries in digitalization

China’s forward-looking vision on the future development of the internet offers a glimpse into how cooperation can narrow the digital divide across the world, at a time when an economic slowdown and impeded globalization have stunted growth worldwide, said government officials and industry experts on Friday.

They made the remarks at the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit that ended in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province on Friday.

They also sought more global cooperation to advance the development of the internet in less-developed economies and enhance digital competence for all.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, said at a news conference, “More efforts should be made to help make the internet a new frontier for all parties to cooperate and continue to create more convergence of interests, growth points of cooperation and new highlights of win-win scenarios in cyberspace.”

“All parties around the world are expected to join hands to build a cyber world where human beings coexist, jointly create a digital future of win-win cooperation and make cyberspace better for all peoples of the world,” he said.

More than 1,800 representatives from governments, international organizations, industry associations, internet enterprises, universities and think tanks from over 130 countries and regions attended this year’s summit, addressing some of the hottest topics faced by countries in digitalization.

Teo Nie Ching, deputy minister of communications of Malaysia, said at the conference that digital transformation is not solely about technological advancement, but also a reflection of human values and actions.

“As technology progresses, we must uphold a core principle of people-centered and holistic development to ensure that technological applications truly serve the common good and promote share to the progress,” Teo said.

A United Nations report found that 2.6 billion individuals globally still lack internet access and a sharp digital divide can also be observed among economies, among industries and between urban and rural areas.

Although many less technologically advanced regions, such as Africa, possess a strong willingness to build an inclusive and equitable digital world, the rapid advancement of technologies often poses a huge challenge to developing countries — how to actively participate and keep pace with this growth, said Nii Narku Quaynor, chairman of Ghana Dot Com.

Against this backdrop, reinforcing open access to internet channels, digital content and technologies can greatly benefit emerging economies in the digital world, he said.

Eyeing a higher-level of inclusiveness, connectivity and cooperation in the internet sector, a statement on global digital cooperation was released by a sub-forum of the WIC.

The statement highlighted the importance of advancing international cooperation on data exchange, enhancing cross-border data connectivity, and narrowing gaps in data circulation, as well as more initiatives to build an open and mutually beneficial international framework for data collaboration.

Intensified efforts should also be made to deepen international exchanges on technology standards, ethical guidelines and legal frameworks, advancing a widely accepted global AI governance system, said the statement.

It also called for human-centered and ethically sound approaches to cutting-edge technologies such as AI, encouraging safe, reliable, fair and transparent research and development as well as applications of AI.

At the opening ceremony of WIC, Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang also stressed the need for the international community to jointly deal with problems such as the digital divide and a grave cybersecurity situation to build a better digital future.

The digital divide continues to widen, and the situation of cybersecurity has become more severe, Ding said, adding that the international community is in greater need than ever of jointly advancing a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

China has been sharing the opportunities of modernization with countries around the world and injecting strong impetus into global modernization, Ding said.

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SOURCE chinadaily.com.cn

BEIJING, Nov. 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Officials from five Chinese departments including the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Bank of China vowed to promote the steady growth of foreign trade at a press conference held on Friday in a move experts said is part of a package of policy measures to inject impetus and confidence into stabilizing the economy and help realize its annual economic targets.

Meanwhile, at the same press conference, the vice commerce minister highlighted China’s capacity in dealing with external shocks in the first explicit, publicly known response by a senior commerce official to the impact of the US’ potential 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports. He stressed tariffs will only lead to high costs for consumers, and a stable, healthy and sustainable development of China-US economic and trade relations will benefit peoples of both countries and the world.

The press conference came after MOFCOM, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the People’s Bank of China and the General Administration of Customs rolled out nine measures to support foreign trade, involving support and guidance in insurance, financing, cross-border trade settlement, expanding scope on imports and exports, optimization of trade structure, visa facilitation and transportation.

Analysts noted that the latest move will further enhance the confidence of Chinese foreign trade enterprises, thereby injecting a stable and strong impetus to economic development, helping the country navigate the complexities of the global market.

Policy support

During the press conference, Chinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen noted that the policy is aimed at responding to changes in the international trade situation and promoting solutions to practical difficulties faced by foreign trade enterprises in financing and maritime transport.

The raft of policy measures aimed at promoting the steady growth of foreign trade was deliberated and adopted by a State Council executive meeting on November 8.

The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday unveiled the policy measures in a notice. Among the nine specific measures, financial institutions are encouraged to increase financing support for micro, small and medium-sized companies based on market-oriented and law-based principles.

Efforts should be made to optimize cross-border trade settlement, promote the development of cross-border e-commerce, expand agricultural product exports, and support the imports of key equipment and energy resources, said the notice.

The overall situation of China’s foreign trade is relatively optimistic, but at the same time we should also see that uncertainties continue to accumulate. Maintaining stable growth in foreign trade and sustained improvement in competitiveness cannot be separated from policy support, Zhou Mi, a senior research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, said on Friday.

“The timely joint efforts by five Chinese departments enhanced the confidence and expectations of Chinese foreign trade enterprises, and the measures will effectively help address problems of current foreign trade and future uncertainties,” Li Yong, a senior research fellow at the China Association of International Trade, told the Global Times on Friday.

Stable growth in foreign trade can provide more impetus for the domestic economy. The nine measures are part of a package of policy measures to inject growth momentum and confidence into stabilizing the economy, which will help realize the country’s annual economic targets, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, said on Friday.

“Consumption, investment, exports and market sentiment all improved in October, and this trend is highly likely to continue in the last two months of the year, as the confidence of enterprises and consumers has been shored up thanks to the support policies,” Wang Peng told the Global Times.

Resilient against external shocks

At the press conference on Friday, Wang Shouwen also stressed that China has the capacity in dealing with external shocks largely owing to its resilient and vibrant economy that has great potential in a response to a question on the impact of the US’ potential 60 percent tariffs on Chinese imports.

China is building a “dual circulation” development pattern, which takes the domestic market as the mainstay while allowing domestic and international markets to reinforce each other. We are capable of resolving and withstanding the impact of external shocks, the official told reporters.

Wang Shouwen noted that history has also shown that the imposition of tariffs on China by a country does not solve the problem of its own trade deficit, on the contrary, it pushes up the prices of the country’s imports from China as well as from other countries.

This is because the tariffs are ultimately paid for by the consumers and the end-users of the importing country, which inevitably leads to an increase in the prices paid by consumers and an increase in the costs to the users, which also leads to inflation, the vice commerce minister further elaborated.

The vice commerce minister said that China and the US are the two largest economies in the world, and have strong complementarities. We believe that if China and the US can maintain a stable, healthy and sustainable development trend in their economic and trade relations, it will be beneficial to both the Chinese people and the American people, as well as the people of all countries in the world, and this is also what the international community expects, he said.

China is willing to engage in dialogue with the US on the basis of the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, in a bid to expand areas of cooperation, manage differences, and promote the stability of the bilateral trade and economic and trade relationship, Wang Shouwen said, noting that China will also firmly safeguard its own sovereignty, security and development interests.

Chinese companies have advantages in ordering, transportation, warehousing and other export-related areas that are difficult for other countries to replace, due to their complete supply chain and high production efficiency, Li said.

“Moreover, the country’s economic resilience provides enough market size to address some of the external risks. In particular, China has continued to promote new dynamics in foreign trade and new quality productive forces, which will cultivate new international competitive advantages,” Li noted.

“Years of China-US trade and investment have made the two sides interdependent. In addition to providing US consumers with cost-effective products, China’s exports of its intermediate products have become embedded in the US supply chain and have become part of the competitiveness of many US industries,” Li said, noting that the US needs to maintain rationality in its economic and trade policy toward China.

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SOURCE Global Times