To narrow digital divides and meet urgent global development needs, China is stepping up technological cooperation with a focus on digital development, the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

China has been pioneering the "Digital South" brand building under the framework of the Global Development Initiative(GDI), setting up a special fund for digital capacity-building, said Tang Ying, director of of CIDCA's Global Development Promotion Center.

“Based on the development stages and demands of the developing countries, we have carried on projects in four categories--capacity developing, planning and design, infrastructure, and livelihood applications,”Tang added. Projects such as technology classrooms, high-speed Internet access to schools, smart medical services, smart traffic transportation, and digital skills training have been completed.

Under the framework of the GDI and South-South Cooperation, a digital transformation program has been implemented in Cuba, providing hardware equipment, training technical personnel, and designing and building digital infrastructure.
Moreover, in cooperation with the International Trade Centre, China has supported around 1,000 products from 100 African small and medium-sized enterprises, expanding exports through e-commerce platforms and enhancing Africa's capacity for digital economic development.

In the next stage, CIDCA will continue work with Chinese and foreign partners to develop more digital construction projects for the Global South, share digital achievements and development experiences, and help the Global South cultivate local digital industries and talent systems. They will also jointly address the challenge of the global digital divide,Tang said.
Hosted by CIDCA, the Third High-Level Conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development will be held in Beijing on April 21 and 22.

During the session, a forum on "Digital South" will showcase the pathways and cooperation models of China's digital technology in empowering high-quality development of the Global South. It will cover six key modules including artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure.