Shanghai, 01 October – Philippine Consul General in Shanghai Josel F. Ignacio delivered a well-received virtual address at the 7th World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, on the evening of 26 September.
The Consul General was one of the guest speakers at the “Dialogue on China-ASEAN Information Harbor”, a side event of the 7th WIC.
The idea of an “Information Harbor” was first proposed by China at the China-ASEAN Cyberspace Summit coinciding with the China-ASEAN Expo in 2014. Launched soon after in 2015, China envisions the China-ASEAN Information Harbor to be a platform for boosting cooperation in the internet and in digital infrastructure and economy.
Consul General Ignacio’s address trained the spotlight on the Philippines’ substantially improved innovation rankings, its gains in developing its digital economy and policies, and the rapid growth of Philippines-China economic engagement, including in terms of cross-border e-commerce. Beyond the bilateral sphere, he underscored the importance of advancing ASEAN’s own engagement with China in the field, in particular synergizing the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity with China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
First held on 19-21 November 2014, in Wuzhen town, the eponymous Wuzhen Summit, as the WIC is also known, has been hosted annually by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and the Zhejiang Provincial People's Government. It is being positioned as a forum for discussing developments and issues affecting the internet, The 2021 Conference, running from 25-28 September, focused on “Digital Civilization”. END
