IAES Chair writes for Xinhua on building an inclusive digital future

IAES Chair Dr James Kennell has contributed a column to Xinhua News Agency examining China’s digital transformation and the choices facing countries as artificial intelligence and digital trade continue to develop.

The article followed Dr Kennell’s participation in the fourth Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou. The event demonstrated how digital technologies are being integrated into areas including smart cities, medical innovation, entertainment, e-commerce and artificial intelligence.

Drawing on discussions at the 2025 Forum of the Exhibition Industry, Dr Kennell argues that the benefits of digital development remain unevenly distributed. While some economies are already using new technologies to transform commerce, governance and community life, others face barriers associated with resources, regulation and public trust.

The column calls for stronger international cooperation and equitable approaches to the governance of AI and digital trade. It argues that digitalisation should be used not only to improve efficiency and generate profit, but also to advance human development and fairness.

This contribution reflects IAES’s commitment to international dialogue about the forces reshaping events, exhibitions and the wider global economy.

Read Dr Kennell’s full column: China’s digital transformation — toward an inclusive future

Featured image: Xinhua News Agency.