Digitization becomes a powerful driving force for economic interconnectivity

The 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held on July 4th, and all parties continued to have in-depth exchanges, striving to unleash the potential for cooperation among member states.

 

Shafkat Alinbekov, Chief Researcher at the Uzbekistan Central Asia International Research Institute, believes that in the context of economic globalization, digital connectivity is one of the most important areas of interaction for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and digitization has become a powerful driving force for SCO member states to achieve economic connectivity.

 

Digitization has become a consensus among countries

 

Alinbekov said that today, 44% of global Internet users come from SCO member states. In view of this, policies that prioritize the development of e-government, digital economy, blockchain technology, and artificial intelligence are relatively popular among member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

 

The digitalization process of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization can be traced back to the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization E-commerce Working Group in 2004. The Beijing Summit in June 2006 outlined the important role of information technology in the fields of economy, trade, investment, telecommunications, national security, and social culture; In 2009, the birth of a unified electronic signature system promoted cross-border trade facilitation; In 2010, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's online trading and investment platform was launched; In 2017, the SCO E-commerce Industry Association was established.

 

Focusing on high technology, the "SCO Digital and Information and Communication Technology Cooperation Concept" was adopted in 2019, highlighting the importance of building digital infrastructure. In 2020, heads of state of various countries adopted a communiqu é on coordination and cooperation in areas such as trade digital technology, information technology security, and combating cyber attacks, and the development of regional digital economy was included in the important task list for the first time.

 

The level of digitization continues to improve

 

Alinbekov pointed out that in order to accelerate the economic connectivity and digital development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, member states have successively formulated national digital plans, programs, and concepts, such as the "China Digital Economy Development Plan", "Digital India", "Russia Digital Economy", "Digital Kazakhstan", "Digital Uzbekistan", etc.

 

Thanks to the initiatives and ongoing reforms taken by the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in the field of digitalization, the international index of digitalization levels in these countries has significantly increased. For example, in the United Nations' "2022 E-government Development Level" rating, Kazakhstan ranks 28th out of 193 countries and regions, Russia ranks 42nd, and China ranks 43rd. According to the Global Innovation Index, China ranks 11th out of 132 countries and regions, India ranks 40th, Russia ranks 47th, Iran ranks 53rd, and Uzbekistan ranks 82nd.

 

Digital technology helps with interconnectivity

 

Alinbakov stated that Uzbekistan highly recognizes and supports the improvement of connectivity within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

 

At the 2022 SCO Samarkand Summit, Uzbekistan's President Mirziyoyev said, "We hope to maximize our existing potential while considering the advantages of economic complementarity among SCO member states. We suggest accelerating the construction of a common space for industrial and technological cooperation based on the launch of the SCO New Economic Dialogue

 

Mirziyoyev stated that Uzbekistan supports the construction of the China Kyrgyzstan Uzbekistan Railway and the Tiermez Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul Peshawar Railway, which connects Central and South Asia. By effectively expanding the transportation routes within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, it strengthens the connectivity among member states.

 

In order to fully unleash the connectivity and digital potential of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Samarkand Summit has adopted the "Concept for Developing Connectivity and Establishing Efficient Transport Corridors among the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", "Outline for Cooperation on Digital Literacy Development among Authorized Departments of the Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization", and "Joint Action Plan for the Development of Trade within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Region from 2023 to 2025".

 

Alinbekov believes that the effective implementation of interconnectivity projects relies on the application of world leading digital technologies. The digitalization level of member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization should keep pace with the times and be applied in their exchanges and cooperation on connectivity. The digital development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will promote the further implementation and deepening of promising mutually beneficial cooperation projects within the organization.