CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, March 31, 2021 | 3 TOP NEWS Welcoming gift ASEAN Cooperation FMs’ visit to bolster of Asia sought relations, friendship to boost BRI By ZHOU JIN [email protected] Boao Forum event in Hainan expected Four foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast to discuss reshaping of global growth Asian Nations member countries will visit China from Wednesday By CHEN JIA reviving and reshaping confidence to Friday in a bid to deepen anti­ [email protected] in growth and jointly controlling the pandemic cooperation and joint­ pandemic, Li said at the news con­ ly build the Belt and Road with With COVID­19 controlled domes­ ference. high quality. tically, China is planning the largest The world has been subject lately The ministers are Singapore’s on­site international forum of the to increasing regional disputes and Vivian Balakrishnan, Hisham­ year to date in mid­April. The forum blocked flows of production factors. muddin Hussein from Malaysia, is expected to call for cooperation But cross­border cooperation Indonesia’s Retno Marsudi and among Asian countries and the under the Belt and Road Initiative Teodoro Locsin from the Philip­ reshaping of global growth in the has promoted economic recovery in pines. post­pandemic era. Asia and adjacent regions, which Foreign Ministry spokes­ The annual conference of the Boao has presented an “Asian perspec­ woman Hua Chunying said at a Forum for Asia is set for April 18 to 21 tive” on improving global govern­ Tibetan students present hada — a white scarf representing purity and honesty — to welcome post­ daily news conference that Chi­ in Boao, Hainan province. The theme ance, Li said. graduates from Hubei University who are taking part in an education aid program in Lhokha, Tibet na hopes to strengthen commu­ of the conference is “A World in The conference will include a spe­ autonomous region, on Monday. ZHANG RUFENG / XINHUA nication on regional and Change: Join Hands to Strengthen cial section called “Explore China”, international situations with Global Governance and Advance which will focus on the country’s members from the ASEAN Belt and Road Cooperation”, organiz­ development trends and its impact members through their visits. ers said at a news conference on on recovery of the world economy. According to Hua, State Coun­ Tuesday. The timing is good because 2021 China, Arab states upgrade digital collaboration cilor and Foreign Minister Wang This year also marks the 20th marks the opening of China’s 14th Yi has set foot on almost all coun­ anniversary of the forum. April’s Five­Year Plan (2021­25). Another tries in Southeast Asia, while event is expected to have around session, “BRI Cooperation”, will By ZHANG YUNBI and Arab countries became the first mon call of the international com­ many foreign ministers and key 2,000 participants, and will be held share the experience of the Belt and [email protected] part of the world to produce the munity to maintain network and cabinet members from South­ thanks to the effective prevention Road Initiative and look for oppor­ joint release of a data security initi­ data security and helps to fix loop­ east Asian countries have also and control of the COVID­19 pan­ tunities to optimize global govern­ China and the League of Arab ative with China, Foreign Ministry holes in international rules, the visited China. demic by the host country. ance, Li said. States have upgraded their collabo­ spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Arab League added. “The visit of the four ministers According to Li Baodong, secre­ Other discussion topics will ration against rising cyberspace on Tuesday. The initiative drew expansive once again demonstrates the tary­general of the BFA, two of Chi­ include the dual­circulation develop­ risks and challenges by signing and Unanimous support for this ini­ support from Arab states before profound friendship between na’s State leaders will attend the ment paradigm, financial opening­ releasing their landmark proposal, tiative among Arab states “ade­ and during State Councilor and For­ China and its neighboring coun­ conference, with one addressing the up, carbon neutrality, aging societies, Initiative on China­Arab Data Secu­ quately illustrates that this eign Minister Wang Yi’s six­nation tries in Southeast Asia through opening ceremony online. The other COVID­19 vaccines and the digital rity Cooperation. initiative echoes the times’ trends Middle East trip from March 24 to closer interactions,” she said. leader will participate on­site in a economy. Forum organizers expect The document, meant to keep and lives up to the common aspira­ Tuesday. Southeast Asia is also one of series of events, including a symposi­ participants to jointly address the data and production chains afloat tion of international community”, Wang said the initiative’s signing the first destinations of Wang’s um for entrepreneurs from China challenges of technological progress, in the digital economy era, was she said. “sent out a unanimous voice on the overseas visits this year, which and the United States. industry transformation and socie­ inked at a videoconference on Ma Zhaoxu, the vice­foreign issue of digital economy govern­ took him to Myanmar, Indone­ Many other state leaders from for­ tal management in the post­pan­ Monday held by Vice­Foreign Min­ minister, said the initiative’s sign­ ance”. sia, Brunei and the Philippines in eign countries, former politicians, demic era. ister Ma Zhaoxu and Assistant Sec­ ing and joint release on Monday At a meeting on Monday with his January. heads of international organizations “Facing the complex international retary­General of the League of “marks a new level” of China­Arab Omani counterpart, Sayyid Badr Southeast Asian countries are and a large number of guests from environment, only by practicing Arab States Hossam Zaki. digital cooperation as well as “a Hamad al­Busaidi, Wang called for China’s friendly neighbors con­ politics, business and academia, are multilateralism with a developmen­ Officials said the latest data secu­ new phase” in the digital sectors’ joint efforts from the two nations to nected by land and sea, as well expected to join the conference tal perspective and strengthening rity policy brainchild builds on the strategic mutual trust and prag­ translate the data security initiative as important partners of the online or on­site. global governance can we effectively two sides’ increasing collaboration matic cooperation. into reality and help “boost the say of Belt and Road Initiative, Hua One of the key topics of the forum respond to global challenges and in cutting­edge technologies such This proposal serves as “a developing countries” in formulat­ said. this year is to promote the consensus ensure that all countries share the as 5G and artificial intelligence and shared, key contribution of China ing the rules governing the global China always attaches great of Asian countries and the world on fruits of development,” Li added. teamwork regarding internet secu­ and Arab states to global digital digital economy. importance to its relationship rity responses in recent years. governance”, as it advocates for bal­ The Omani foreign minister said with Southeast Asian countries, Data security collaboration is ancing security and development, Oman has opened all its sectors to and always takes those countries Technology meets faith highlighted at a time the oil­rich upholding equity and justice, Ma China and welcomes Chinese as a priority of its neighboring region’s internet infrastructure has said. investment in industries including diplomacy, she said. fallen victim to rampant cyber­ In recent years, governments of tourism, energy, science and tech­ Since the outbreak of the pan­ attacks in recent years. Arab countries have rolled out con­ nology and information technology. demic, China and Southeast Meanwhile, Chinese firms’ grow­ secutive visions and measures to cre­ Omani Minister of the Royal Asian countries have also main­ ing involvement in the region’s digital ate a secure digital environment, Office Sultan bin Mohammed tained close high­level commu­ economy is contributing to its recov­ incorporating data security as a pillar al­Nuamani told Wang in a sepa­ nication and have made positive ery amid the COVID­19 pandemic. of their national security strategies. rate meeting that his country is progress in anti­pandemic coop­ In 2018, China, Egypt, Saudi Ara­ ready to bolster collaboration with eration, she added. bia and the United Arab Emirates Urgent need China in areas including informa­ Chinese vaccines have already became founding members of “The At the conference on Monday, tion technology. been shipped to the four coun­ Belt and Road” Digital Economy the Arab League underlined the Similarly, Jordanian Deputy tries to help in combating the International Cooperation Initia­ need for various countries to devel­ Prime Minister and Minister of virus. tive, which focuses on promoting op uniform international rules, Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi told This year marks the 30th anni­ the digital economy. jointly respond to cybersecurity Wang in a phone call on March 13 versary of the dialogue relations Also, in September, China issued threats, maintain the security of that Jordan stands ready to between China and ASEAN. its Global Initiative on Data Securi­ data and supply chains and create strengthen cooperation with China Last year, the bloc surpassed ty as a Chinese solution to major favorable circumstances for in areas such as data security and the European Union to become issues concerning data and cyber­ smooth operation of societies and counterterrorism. China’s biggest trade partner, security. economies. Chinese e­commerce portals are with their bilateral trade vol­ A technician prepares to clean up a reproduction of a Buddha head The China­Arab initiative signed The China­Arab initiative is in accessible to around 80 percent of ume exceeding $684.6 billion.