Under the blue sky and white clouds on the summer day, “China’s Big Data Valley” Guiyang was surging with infinite innovative vitality.

On May 26-28, China International Big Data Industry Expo 2023 themed “Integrating Digital and Real Economies, Unlocking the Future with Computing Power” was held in Guiyang. Government officials, experts, scholars and business representatives from 50 countries and regions gathered in Guiyang for the grand event.

As the world's first expo and summit themed on big data, it has been focusing on "big data" and "cloud" technologies for nearly a decade since 2015, making Guizhou a global renowned "digital hub". The ever-expanding international "circle of friends” demonstrated the glamour of the Big Data Expo.

An International "Circle of Friends" 

Connecting Friendship across the Mountains and Seas with the Big Data Expo

At 10:00 on May 26, the hand of the time pointed to Guiyang.

The huge Guiyang International Conference and Exhibition Center was filled with famous figures and guests. At the opening ceremony, Guizhou highlighted its efforts to seize the opportunities in implementing the digital economy strategy and sincerely invited friends from all walks of life in all countries to work together for a new era of digital civilization.

The international friends immersed themselves in the event filled with digital technology and data elements, and experienced the latest remarkable "black technologies" in close range, thus to increase exchanges and seek common development with the help Big Data Expo.

“The Expo makes me feel that Guizhou has opened its arms to the world. For cooperation between Guiyang and Palmerston North, the sky's the limit! " Gabrielle Loga, head of the International Relations Department of Palmerston North, New Zealand, expressed her expectations for cooperation between the two cities.

Actually, the seeds of the friendship were sown more than 30 years ago. On August 17, 1992, Guiyang and Palmerston North officially signed a sister city agreement, which was the first foreign city established sister city relationship with Guiyang. Over the past 31 years, the two sides have achieved fruitful results in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, education, and technology, becoming a model for friendship city exchanges between China and New Zealand.

It is not the first time that representatives from the Palmerston North government have participated in the Big Data Expo. The constant friendly exchanges have deepened the friendship between the two cities.

At this year's Big Data Expo, Gabrielle Loga described the cooperation between the two sides with a New Zealand proverb: The sky's the limit. She said excitedly: “Palmerston North and Guiyang are seeking cooperation, and the Big Data Expo provides us a good opportunity. I hope that in the future, while upgrading our cooperation in agriculture and education, we can expand programs to big data and other areas.”

Whether from Palmerston North in New Zealand, Fort Worth in the United States, Burnaby in Canada, and Liverpool in the United Kingdom, the Big Data Expo will connect friendship across mountains and seas and continuously expand Guiyang's international "circle of friends".

A Digital "Sister City Meeting”

Drawing the Concentric Circles of the “Smart City” in the World

Follow the trend of "big data" and make sister cities the medium. At this year's Big Data Expo, a special meeting has caught people's attention.

“In recent years, supported by digital infrastructure, Guizhou has comprehensively applied new information technologies such as big data, Internet and cloud computing to give urban governance the 'cloud' wings... As digital technology is profoundly changing urban governance, we look forward to exchanging experiences and strengthening cooperation with cities from different countries to jointly explore new models, new initiatives, and new results for the innovative transformation of urban digitalization."

On the afternoon of the opening of theBig Data Expo 2023 , the Smart City Forum for International Friendship Cities was held for the first time, where Guizhou demonstrated its achievement in big data industry over the years and invited cities from all over the world to jointly explore digital transformation.

More than 30 former foreign politicians, officials of the Consulate General in China, and representatives of international organizations from Croatia, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, and Greece, as well as important guests from international friendly exchange areas responded positively and expressed their wishes for more diversified and in-depth cooperation with Guizhou at this high-end forum themed "Sharing the Achievements of Smart Cities, Improving the Efficiency of Urban Governance".

Jeon Hyeong Sik, Deputy Governor of Chungcheongnam-do in South Korea, said that they are building a virtual metaverse conference room, aiming to provide innovative administrative services to citizens of Chungcheongnam-do by accelerating digital transformation. He believed that it is timely and of great significance to discuss the global issue of "digital transformation" at the Big Data Expo. "As a friendly partner of Guizhou Province, Chungcheongnam-do looks forward to working with Guizhou Province to promote prosperity and development.”

"The key to the success of a smart city is to collect data and information on all aspects of the city, and then use artificial intelligence algorithms to make scientific predictions and accurate analysis to improve the city's services and resource allocation." After sharing his views, Lu Zhenyi, Chairman of the Administration of Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand, said “My father is from Chaozhou” in Chinese, and attracted a lot of applause. He said that China and Thailand have a natural affinity for each other due to close distance and cultural connection. He hoped that two countries should bond and cooperate more intensively to promote in-depth integration in digital sharing and smart city construction.

During the two-hour animated and lively discussion, participants from different countries expressed their views on the construction of smart cities and had in-depth communication with each other. Taking the opportunity of the digital "Sister City Meeting", Guiyang City signed letters of intent for sister cities with Chaiyaphum Province, Thailand and Gunsan City, South Korea, and signed a cultural tourism cooperation framework agreement with Tripolis, Greece. So far, the number of sister cities and cities that intent to develop sister city relations with Guizhou Province has increased to 113, making the concentric circles of “smart cities” and “digital development” much bigger.

A New Global Expectation

Taking "Big Data" as the Wing and Riding on "Cloud” to Move Forward to the Future

Guizhou, which takes “big data" as its wings, has deeply realized that in the context of building a community with a shared future for mankind, countries and cities are interacting with each other, and the development of big data can only achieve win-win outcomes through mutual creation, mutual integration and mutual sharing.

Riding on the "cloud" technology, Guizhou has been engaged in practical work, and has seized opportunities in implementing the digital economy strategy to promote the transformation and application of big data innovative technologies, becoming the original place, cluster and dream ground of China's big data industry.

The “visible” achievements have attracted attention of international friendship cities.

Grzegorz Morawski, Consul General of the Consulate General of Poland in Chengdu, said that after these years of development, the Big Data Expo has become a forward-looking industry and international event. He hoped to take this opportunity to learn more about China's achievements and Guizhou's experience in big data, industrial development and poverty alleviation.

"From telemedicine to the real economy, from agriculture to science, Guizhou makes full use of digital technologies including cloud computing and big data to promote scientific development." After a 7-year hiatus, former Deputy Prime Minister of Croatiam, Ante Simonic, spoke highly of Guizhou’s achievements in big data industry. “Guizhou is using big data to create the future,” he said.

The concrete results also give global partners new expectations.

The Big Data Expo 2023-Leading Technology Achievement Release presented 20 "Leading Sci-tech Achievements Awards" and 51 "Outstanding Science and Technology Achievements" to showcase new products, technologies and models of big data around the world.

Since 2015, the Big Data Expo will select nearly a hundred "leading sci-tech achievements” every year to provide the best digital technology solutions for the world. As a key platform for the transformation of digital technology, digital products and digital achievements, the Expo has become an important wind vane for the development of the global big data industry.

The wave of digital development has spread across the world, speeding up economic and social transformation. Riding on the trend of big data industry, Guizhou has opened its arms to welcome more international partners to join the "circle of friends" , so that all countries can work together to find a new model of digital economy and create a better future of digital civilization.