Invited by the government of the Russian Federation, Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang is scheduled to attend the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia from Thursday to Saturday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Ding is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.When asked about China's expectations regarding Ding's attendance at the SPIEF, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said previously at a Tuesday briefing that China looks forward to enhancing communication and exchanges at the forum to build consensus on cooperation, advocate humanity's common values, promote an equal and orderly multipolar world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization, and give a strong boost to improving global governance and promoting development and prosperity in the world. The forum, held under the theme "Common Values - The Foundation of Growth in a Multipolar World", which kicked off on Wednesday, features more than 150 business events including panel discussions, themed round tables, business breakfasts and TV debates, according to TASS. About 20,000 representatives from 140 countries will take part in SPIEF.The central event at the SPIEF will be the plenary session on June 20, when Russian President Vladimir Putin will give a keynote address, according to TASS. Sun Xiuwen, an associate professor at the Institute for Central Asian Studies at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times that Ding's attendance highlights the significance that China addressed on deepening the integration of bilateral and multilateral governance mechanisms. The central focus of the forum's programme is on technology and digital transformation as key drivers of leadership in the modern world, and as essential foundations for creating a comfortable living environment and enabling personal fulfilment, Putin said in a previous greeting to the forum, according to SPIEF's official website.Putin said that "Together with our partners, particularly within the BRICS group, we remain committed to building an effective system of equal and mutually beneficial international cooperation, free from any form of discrimination, coercion, and sanctions pressure."Participants will also exchange views on issues related to demographics, labor productivity, science and education, healthcare, and social protection," the President's greeting states.According to a TASS report on Thursday, Putin said during another meeting that what surprised and impressed him was the breakthrough China made in artificial intelligence, pointing out that it was ten times cheaper and ten times more efficient than its competitors.Sun said that Chinese and Russian enterprises see growing potential for cooperation in areas such as 5G and other digital infrastructure projects, intelligent upgrades in industrial production, smart home and medical services, and energy trade digitization.The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Qifa, a Chinese-founded B2B digital trade platform operating across the Russia-China corridor, inked a strategic partnership on Wednesday at the SPIEF to advance cross-border digital trade and expand bilateral commerce, the Xinhua News Agency reported.Yang Bochen, a senior member of the Chinese Society of Technology Economics, noted that China and Russia also have great potential for cooperation in promoting innovation and development in the human resources services sector, which directly contributes to optimizing the labor market.
