Artificial intelligence is set to take center stage at the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo, as the event moves beyond showcasing digital technologies to promote trade, investment and international cooperation, officials said on Monday.
The expo, scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from Sept 23 to 27, has attracted representatives from 121 countries and regions, and 29 international organizations to attend, with overseas exhibitors accounting for more than 20 percent of the total, said Yan Dong, vice-minister of commerce, at a news conference.
AI is expected to be one of the biggest highlights of the event. "More than one-third of exhibitors are AI companies, while the expo will feature a dedicated token-themed area and showcase the full industrial chain spanning computing infrastructure, foundation models and applications," Yan said.
The growing role of AI in trade is also reflected in the strong interest from buyers.
Zhejiang has received nearly 40,000 registrations from professional buyers, including more than 12,000 overseas buyers, while prearranged international purchase orders have reached $977 million and total domestic and overseas orders have reached 19.5 billion yuan ($2.9 billion), said Hu Wei, vice-governor of Zhejiang.
