'Digital Connectivity Shines on Silk Road': Foreign Internet Influencers' Trip to Shaanxi is set to unfold in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, from April 12 to 15, with a special visit from a group of international internet influencers.

The internet influencers, who hail from as far away as Russia, Guatemala, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and Croatia will gather in Xi'an to explore the achievements and applications of the digital economy and opportunities for collaboration on Silk Road e-commerce. While there, they will use their camera lenses to share their experiences and showcase Shaanxi's digital development achievements from different perspectives, highlighting the impressive progress made by Shaanxi in fostering high-quality development in the new era.

Fengdong Free Trade & Trade in Services Industrial Park in Xixian New Area [Photo via the Office of Cyberspace Affairs Commission of CPC Xi'an Municipal Committee]

During their visit, the influencers will explore Qin Chuang Yuan Innovation Promotion Platform and Fengdong Free Trade Digital Economy Demonstration Park, where they will witness firsthand the industrialization of Shaanxi's technological achievements and the development and application of industrial parks featuring digital and intelligent technologies. A visit to the Shaanxi History Museum, China's first large-scale modern national history museum, will take the influencers on a trip to ancient civilization and the historical processes at work in Shaanxi and China through an abundance of cultural artifacts. Finally, at the Xi'an Chanba CBEC Industrial Park, visitors will learn more about cross-border e-commerce collaborations along the digital Silk Road and progress made in international cooperation in the era of the digital economy.

CRI Online will be covering the event in different languages, diverse digital channels, and converged media platforms. The influencers share the insight and experiences gained throughout the event via their Chinese and overseas social media accounts, showing Shaanxi's new wave of breakthroughs within the digital economy to netizens worldwide, ultimately giving impetus to the time-honored Silk Road.

The World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum is scheduled to take place in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, on April 16. In-depth exchange and discussion on three major topics have been planned for the forum under the theme of Connectivity and Shared Prosperity. These topics are Digital Connectivity for Joint Silk Road Endeavors, Silk Road E-commerce International Cooperation, and Digital Villages and Sustainable Development. The hope is to use the establishment of a collaborative international platform for participants of the Belt and Road Initiative to fuel an upgrade in infrastructure, nurture the digital economy, and address the digital divide.