On July 24, the High-Level Dialogue: Leveraging Digital and AI Technologies to Empower the APEC Community opened in Chengdu. Li Lecheng, Secretary of the CPC Leadership Group of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and MIIT Minister, and Shi Xiaolin, Deputy Secretary of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee and Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province, attended the opening ceremony and delivered addresses.

In his address, Li Lecheng pointed out that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), actively creating new forms of smart economy, and has achieved fruitful outcomes. The Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan calls for further efforts in building Digital China and enhancing the level of digital and intelligent development. China will further deepen reforms comprehensively, continue to expand high-standard opening up, and provide new opportunities for the development of the Asia-Pacific region and the world with new achievements in Chinese modernization. China attaches great importance to international cooperation on digital and AI technologies and is willing to work with all parties to continuously empower the Asia-Pacific community through digital and AI technologies, jointly injecting new impetus into Asia-Pacific cooperation. He expressed the hope that APEC economies will strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas such as policies, technologies, talents and standards, continuously enhance digital and AI empowerment, and foster new strengths for innovation-driven development in the Asia-Pacific region. First, jointly seize the strategic opportunities presented by technological changes, and accelerate efforts in leveraging digital and AI technologies to empower various industries through technology promotion, joint research and development, and other means. Second, jointly promote the inclusive sharing of innovation achievements, strengthen cooperation in building inclusive digital service capabilities, promote lightweight intelligent tools and solutions that are low-threshold, easy to deploy and affordable, and speed up efforts to narrow the digital and AI divide. Third, jointly cultivate an open, interconnected and unified market, maintain the stability and resilience of global industrial and supply chains for digital and AI technologies, deepen open-source and open cooperation in technology, and create a competitive open innovation ecosystem. Fourth, jointly ensure the governance of digital and AI technologies for safety and for good, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and form governance frameworks and standards based on broad consensus.

In her address, Shi Xiaolin quoted President Xi Jinping as saying: "The world has entered an unprecedented period of active innovation on AI technologies. Intelligent connectivity, human-machine collaboration, cross-sector integration, joint creation and sharing, and other intelligent technologies are unleashing enormous power. All this carries within it great opportunities as well as challenges to governance." In recent years, Sichuan has taken the AI Plus Initiative as its top innovation project, promoting the deep integration of digital and AI technologies with the real economy, and empowering various industries and enhancing people's well-being in an all-round manner, thus fostering a sound momentum of new advances in the digital economy and the widespread sharing of digital dividends. This Dialogue is not only an important opportunity for the Asia-Pacific region to deepen coordination and cooperation on digital and AI technologies, but also an important opportunity for Sichuan to pool global wisdom to foster new quality productive forces and pursue high-quality development. Under the coordination of the MIIT, we will work with all parties to deepen cooperation in scientific and technological innovation, industrial co-development, and governance consultation. We will focus on advancing new digital infrastructure to build a solid foundation for digital and AI development; concentrate on growing the smart economy to advance the integrated development of digital and AI industries; and strive to build an industrial ecosystem to optimize the favorable environment for digital and AI innovation, leveraging digital and AI technologies to create a better future. She wished the event fruitful results and expressed the hope that it will write a new chapter of open digital and AI cooperation for a win-win future in the Asia-Pacific region.

Xiong Jijun, Vice Minister of MIIT, presided over the opening ceremony. Speeches were delivered by Chaiyachonok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand; Vu Hai Quan, Minister of Science and Technology of Viet Nam; Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China; Bella Cherkesova, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of Russia; Tan Kiat How, Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information and the Ministry of Health of Singapore; and Chen Shuping, Mayor of Chengdu. Yu Xiaohui, President of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, released the "Collection of Cases on Digital and AI Empowerment in the Asia-Pacific Region".

As a side event of the 2026 APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting, this Dialogue featured in-depth discussions on two topics: "Advancing Digital Transformation to Empower All Industries" and "Developing Artificial Intelligence for Improved Wellbeing of the People". The event serves as a platform for exchanges and cooperation on innovation development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Representatives from APEC economies' government departments, academic institutions, well-known enterprises, and industry associations, as well as from international organizations, participated in the event.