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OPINION AUGUST 27, 2021 | The Indian Eye 12

What Beijing’s expanding

digital Silk road

means to india?

Beijing has already signed 16 Memoranda of Understanding with various

countries, out of which 12 have begun actionable implementation

JaGannath p. panda and take advantage of the new prevent the global digital value ing (MoUs) with various coun-
technological era. chains from being controlled by tries, out of which 12 have be-
ver the past decade, Although initially a sub-com- the West. gun actionable implementation.
promoting infrastruc- ponent, DSR has now become Beijing has conceived sev- In fact, in 2019, on the sidelines
Oture and connectivity the highlight of BRI and the eral programmes and made of the second Belt and Road
projects has emerged as a key primary channel for Beijing’s significant moves to take the Forum (BRF), China held a
tenet of China’s foreign policy, foreign policy outreach in the DSR initiative forward in the sub-forum on the DSR which
particularly under the leader- digital sector. At a macro level, region—which forms India’s drew immense attention.
ship of Xi Jinping, as a way of the DSR’s primary objective is neighbourhood. Post DSR’s Xi Jinping in his opening
expanding the country’s power to improve regional and inter- launch in 2015, China launched address at the second BRF
and influence in the region and national e-connectivity while the Digital Belt and Road Pro- stated that China must “keep
beyond. Beijing’s massive un- concurrently shaping Beijing gram (DBAR) in 2016 which up with the trend of the Fourth
dertaking—the Belt and Road ’s quest for great power iden- established the “Big Earth Industrial Revolution” and fo-
Initiative (BRI)—has sought tity. In other words, it aims to Data Alliance for the Belt and cus on creating new drivers of
to capitalise on China’s rapid enhance digital connectivity by Road”. This expects big data to growth such as building “the
decades-long high economic supporting regional digital in- be a “peace envoy” for all re- digital Silk Road and the Silk
growth to build new global con- frastructure and digital security gions along the BRI, to build Road of innovation” which
nectivity contours with China projects that integrate internet, the same in an organised way will aid the “Belt and Road
at its centre. More importantly, big data, artificial intelligence while also practically imple- Science, Technology and In-
perhaps, the BRI aims to por- (AI) and digitisation of indus- menting the Sustainable De- novation Cooperation Action
tray China as a benevolent aid trial sectors. Such digital infra- velopment Goals (SDGs). The Plan”. China also launched
provider in Asia and beyond. structure building projects are DSR’s integration with three of the World Internet Confer-
Although the BRI initially com- intended to modernise various China’s most crucial state-driv- ence—also known as the Wu-
prised of two components—the industrial sectors of the BRI en initiatives—BRI, Made in zhen Summit—to promote
Maritime Silk Road (MSR) participant states, thereby cre- China 2025 and China Stan- the DSR; its 2020 meeting wit-
and the Silk Road Econom- ating a market for China’s digi- dards 2035 —further strength- nessed participation and dis-
ic Belt (SREB)—in 2015, the tal assets; ultimately, this would ens the central stage it holds in play of cutting-edge scientific
Digital Silk Road (DSR), a new enable the regional industrial Chinese foreign policy. achievements of over 130 well-
sub-venture, was added to mod- architecture to be optimised Beijing has already signed known enterprises/institutions
ernise the initiative, respond and integrated with China and 16 Memoranda of Understand- Continued on next page... >>

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