Digital News

　　The digital economy is rapidly emerging as a new engine of global economic growth. As the world’s largest comprehensive regional cooperation organization in terms of geographical coverage and population, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has made promoting digital collaboration and advancing the digital transformation of its member states a key area of cooperation. Economic and trade cooperation continues to expand, industrial cooperation is deepening, and therefore, a “digital bridge” connecting SCO countries is growing ever stronger.

　　Breathing New Life into Economic and Trade Cooperation

　　“Cross-border e-commerce cooperation among SCO countries is expanding rapidly. We are not only active participants, but also direct beneficiaries,” said Wan Xiaowen, founder of the Jinpin Cross-Border Digital Trade Industrial Park.

　　Wan Xiaowen’s booming business in Uzbekistan has been fueled by the rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce among SCO countries in recent years. The 2022 SCO Summit in Samarkand gave him a clear view of the vast prospects of “Silk Road E-Commerce” cooperation between China and Uzbekistan. Just a year later, he sold his products to Uzbekistan for the first time via an e-commerce platform.

　　“Digitalization has greatly enhanced trade efficiency in cross-border e-commerce, narrowed information gaps between buyers and sellers, and reduced transaction costs,” said Wan Xiaowen. Leveraging this model, his company saw its trade volume surge by 130% last year.

　　E-commerce has emerged as a key highlight of economic and trade cooperation among SCO countries. According to industry sources, the online retail market across SCO member states exceeded 3.2 trillion US dollars in 2024. In the same year, China’s cross-border e-commerce imports from SCO countries rose 34% year-on-year.

　　The cross-border e-commerce ecosystem among SCO countries is growing increasingly robust. To promote digital trade and e-commerce, the China-SCO Local Economic and Trade Cooperation Demonstration Area has established a cross-border e-commerce ecosystem and launched a “Silk Road E-Commerce” integrated service base, addressing a range of cross-border challenges, including cross-border settlement and customs clearance.

　　In the realm of mutual recognition and trust for electronic signatures, China has already extended services to over 100 enterprises in partner regions, helping to overcome cross-border compliance barriers and cut cross-border trade costs. Nearly 5,000 cross-border trade documents have been signed, involving transactions totaling more than 100 million yuan.

　　Strengthening Industrial Collaboration to Unlock Development Potential

　　In the vast Gobi Desert of southern Kazakhstan, engineers in a modern chemical industrial park can monitor equipment operations in real time via screens. The project, a collaboration between Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. and Kazakhstan, leverages digital twin technology to create a full-scale, 1:1 virtual model of the factory.

　　“Through this project, we are putting digital and intelligent technologies and standards into practice, providing Kazakhstan with concrete application scenarios and fostering a win-win collaboration,” said Liu Tao, General Manager of Tianjin Cement Industry Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd.

　　When the strengths of digital technologies align with the development needs of the SCO, tremendous potential can be unleashed.

　　At the China-Egypt TEDA Suez Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, China-Africa TEDA Investment Co., Ltd. is rolling out its “One Network, One Cloud, One Platform” initiative, which will provide cloud computing services and communication infrastructure support to 185 enterprises in the park, leveraging digital technology to drive the park’s development.

　　“China’s BeiDou system and IoT technology solutions are empowering Egypt’s computing power infrastructure construction and delivering significant benefits to the growth of the local digital economy,” said Ahmed M. Darwish, former Minister of State for Administration Development, Egypt, and former Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone.

　　On July 11, at the signing ceremony of the 2025 SCO Digital Economy Forum, China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Egypt, and other countries signed a total of 12 digital economy cooperation projects, including the China-Egypt (Alexandria) Digital and Intelligent High-tech Ecological Industrial Park. The project will harness China’s latest advancements in cloud computing, digital economy, and artificial intelligence to drive Egypt’s digital transformation.

　　“Cooperation on the digital transformation of manufacturing between Egypt and China has moved from vision to action, marking a solid step toward building a shared digital future,” said Ahmed M. Darwish.

　　Song Xianrong, head of international cooperation at the National Data Administration, highlighted that in recent years, China has achieved remarkable results in digital economy cooperation with other SCO countries. For instance, Chinese enterprises have driven the development of smart railways in Mongolia, doubling or tripling coal mine output in the surrounding regions, achieving an annual transport capacity of 30 million tons, cutting per-ton transport costs from 32 US dollars to 15 US dollars, and slashing railway operation and maintenance costs by 50%.

　　Working Toegther to Shape a Digital Future

　　A set of model cases for China-SCO digital economy cooperation was released at the 2025 SCO Digital Economy Forum. These cases span six key areas: the innovation and application of digital technology, digital infrastructure, industrial digital transformation, digital industrial parks, public services, and digital security, fully demonstrating the depth and breadth of collaboration in the digital economy among SCO member states.

　　Most SCO countries are located along the ancient Silk Road and are now emerging as key hubs of the Digital Silk Road.

　　In Kyrgyzstan, a 5G network constructed with Chinese participation now spans major cities, boosting Internet penetration from 43% to over 70%. In Tajikistan, the China-Tajik digital healthcare platform delivers full remote consultation coverage, extending services to residents in remote areas. Meanwhile, the Huawei–Kazakhstan Temir Zholy Joint Innovation Center is harnessing Huawei’s cutting-edge technologies and AI solutions to help Kazakhstan develop an efficient, safe, personalized, and intelligent railway system…

　　“Uzbekistan is placing strong emphasis on the digital transformation of its economy and society, actively rolling out related national projects, vigorously developing digital infrastructure, and addressing talent development challenges. As a global leader in digital and ICT development, as well as in the production and export of related equipment, China has emerged as Central Asia’s key partner in advancing the digital economy,” said Doniyor Kurbanov, Head of the Department of Cultural and Humanitarian Studies at the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA).

　　Zhongke Ruiyan (Tianjin) Technology Co., Ltd. is among the Chinese companies expanding into Uzbekistan. In June, the company launched a trial operation of the Uzbekistan Digital Skills Application and Intelligent Learning Platform, a project it spearheaded. Integrating multiple functions such as learning, sharing, and interaction, this digital platform aims to provide more opportunities for digital education and the cultivation of digital talent in Uzbekistan.

　　“By quickly supporting Uzbek youth in programming, learning, development, and other related work, we aim to help accelerate the cultivation of digital talent in Uzbekistan,” said Zhao Hongyu, General Manager of the company.

　　With “hard connectivity” in digital infrastructure, “soft connectivity” in data governance frameworks, and “people-to-people connectivity” in digital economy cooperation… the SCO is accelerating the building of closer partnerships and exploring new growth opportunities in digital economy cooperation.