XI'AN, July 22 (Xinhua) -- A key global forum on digital cooperation opened Wednesday in Xi'an, the ancient Silk Road's starting point in northwest China's Shaanxi Province, spotlighting intelligence-driven digital connectivity and cross-border collaboration.

The 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum has brought together approximately 800 participants from more than 50 countries and regions, as well as seven international organizations.

The event is being held under the theme "Pooling Intelligence on the Silk Road, Embarking on a Digital Future -- Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," and aims to discuss strategies for innovation in digital and intelligent technologies, and to pool wisdom and build consensus for the development of the digital Silk Road.

Participants at the forum observed that China's proposal to build a digital Silk Road has not only injected fresh impetus into the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative, but also enabled partner countries to share in the dividends of digital technological advancement.

"The 'digital Silk Road' is not an abstract concept; it is an economic lifeline," said Faqir Mahbub Anam, minister of posts, telecommunication & information technology and science and technology of Bangladesh.

As his country embarks on a digital future, Anam emphasized that partnership remains indispensable. "We view the digital Silk Road as a vital corridor to link our digital economy with China's technological prowess and ASEAN's manufacturing networks," he said at the forum.

Senegal's Minister of Telecommunications and Digital Affairs, Samba Diouf, said that cooperation with China is already delivering tangible results.

He said that in June 2025, Senegal and China signed structuring memoranda of understanding in e-commerce, cybersecurity and rural connectivity.

"Our digital cooperation with China is already a reality," he said, adding that the partnership is expected to extend to new fields, such as training and innovation.

China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), adopted in March this year, outlines high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and calls for measures to expand cooperation in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and the digital economy.

The document of 2026 key tasks for digital economy development, issued by the National Data Administration later in May, stressed deepening international cooperation in the digital economy.

Beyond the plenary opening ceremony, participants are scheduled to engage in dedicated discussions on e-commerce cooperation and development along the digital Silk Road, collaborative innovation and development of intelligent agents, and preservation and digitization of cultural heritage in the age of digital intelligence.

In parallel with the main discussions, a series of activities focused on artificial intelligence-driven digital trade is taking place, aiming to provide practical experience and policy models that Belt and Road partner countries can adapt to their own digital trade development.

The forum, hosted by the WIC and organized by the Shaanxi provincial government, is being held for the third consecutive year.