China's Xi Asks ASEAN Nations to Join in Building of 'Digital Silk Road'
Xi Jinping pushed for digitally enhanced trade among Southeast Asian nations in a keynote at the China-ASEAN Expo on Friday.
Nov 27, 2020 at 9:18 a.m. UTCUpdated Aug 19, 2021 at 5:52 a.m. UTC
:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/coindeskuat/5X62XZ6SW5E35I3SVQH63OLMLY.jpg)
Xi Jinping took the chance to push for greater digital unity among Southeast Asian nations in a recorded keynote at the China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, China, on Friday.
- The Chinese president said he would work toward greater cooperation among the 10 ASEAN nations, and promote a “digital Silk Road” in the region, according to the South China Morning Post.
- The speech comes in an apparent attempt to strengthen China's position locally, after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said he would work with regional allies to take on China's might.
- Xi said, “China regards ASEAN as a priority in its neighborhood diplomacy and a key area for high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative” – a major infrastructure and economic development project underway since 2013.
- The bloc could work with China to establish a “China-ASEAN digital port to promote digital connectivity, and build a ‘digital Silk Road,'" the president said.
- So far there is no suggestion that the digitization proposal would use blockchain underpinnings, but Xi has previously touted the technology across the Chinese economy.
- According to the report, China has been trying to build closer ties with ASEAN countries – which include the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia – amid the trade war that developed under Donald Trump.
- ASEAN members were not initially universally keen on Xi’s proposed digital Silk Road, according to an international relations expert cited in the report.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
13:18
Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
05:10
Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
04:07
The first video of the year 2024
40:07
The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
:format(webp)/downloads.coindesk.com/arc/failsafe/user/1x1.png)