ChinaEU joins Silk Road Association Alliance 中欧数字协会加入丝绸之路区域组织联盟

ChinaEU has officially joined an international alliance of commercial associations of Silk Road countries and is committed to further promote digital ties between Europe and China, the President of ChinaEU Luigi Gambardella announced.

中欧数字协会主席鲁乙己表示，中欧数字协会已正式加入一个丝绸之路国家商业协会联盟并致力于继续促进中欧间数字合作。

“ChinaEU is honored to have been a member of the Silk Road Association Alliance under the Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC) since the beginning of this year, the accession not only reflects our previous efforts to promote digital Silk Road cooperation but also encourages us to make greater contribution to EU-China digital ties,” said Gambardella.

“中欧数字协会很荣幸于年初成为丝绸之路国际总商会丝绸之路区域组织联盟的成员，这不仅是对我们过去促进丝路数字合作的认可，也激励我们未来对中欧数字合作关系作出更大贡献。”鲁乙己说。

The Chairman of the SRCIC Lu Jianzhong said, “I would like to extend a warm welcome to the ChinaEU which has joined the Silk Road Association Alliance.

The Alliance is committed to promote exchange and cooperation among regional associations, make joint efforts for the resilience of the world economy and sustainable development in line with principle of wide consultation, joint contribution, shared benefits and win-win.

We will support ChinaEU to work with other members to build bridges for pragmatic cooperation among business communities in the world.”

“欢迎中欧数字协会成为丝绸之路区域组织联盟成员。联盟致力于推动各区域组织间的交流与合作，本着共商、共建、共享、共赢的理念，为助推世界经济复苏和可持续发展而共同努力。我们将支持中欧数字协会和其他成员一道，为更好推动各国工商界的务实合作架设桥梁。”丝绸之路国际总商会主席吕建中表示。

Mr. Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU and Mr. Lu Jianzhong, SRCIC Chairman

Founded in December 2015 with headquarters in China’s Hong Kong, the SRCIC now has 117 organizational members from 75 countries. It serves as a bridge connecting enterprises and governments, a key voice in promoting Belt and Road construction and plays a vital role in advancing economic and social development with an emphasis on international collaboration and global governance.

丝绸之路国际总商会成立于2015年12月，总部在中国香港，目前已拥有75个国家的117个国家级商协会成员。丝绸之路国际总商会是政府与企业间沟通的桥梁和纽带，是促进“一带一路”建设，推动经济社会发展、参与国际合作和全球治理的重要力量。

The SRCIC was a result of joint efforts to answer the calls for the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. The Initiative refers to building a Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

丝绸之路国际总商会的成立是各方回应中国国家主席习近平2013年提出的“一带一路”倡议的共同努力的成果。“一带一路”包括丝绸之路经济带和21世纪海上丝绸之路，旨在沿着古贸易路线建设一个连接亚洲与欧洲、非洲的贸易和基础设施网络。

“We are proud to be among the first ones to suggest synergies between the Belt and Road Initiative and the European Investment Plan, we are very happy to see the sound implementation,” said Gambardella.

“我们很自豪成为最早建议‘一带一路’倡议和欧洲投资计划对接的人之一，我们也非常高兴看到这个建议得到很好实施。”鲁乙己说。

From left to right: SRCIC Deputy Secretary General Wang Yan, Mr. Luigi Gambardella, and SRCIC Vice Chairman and Secretary General Li Zhonghang

ChinaEU has since its establishment advocated stronger digital ties between Europe and China, deeply involved in promoting development of digital Silk Road. Joining the Silk Road Association Alliance would be a step forward for ChinaEU to work closely with the SRCIC and its members to further promote development of the Belt and Road Initiative, in particular in digital sector.

中欧数字协会自成立起就倡导中欧之间建立更为紧密的数字合作。协会也积极参与促进数字丝绸之路发展建设。加入丝绸之路区域组织联盟将进一步促进中欧数字协会与丝绸之路国际总商会及其成员的合作，促进“一带一路”倡议发展，尤其是在数字领域的合作发展。

“Digital sector is of great significance to both Europe and China and poses a bright future for EU-China cooperation. ChinaEU will focus on boosting digital ties and projects between the two sides. We will spare no effort to enhance bilateral digital cooperation in fields such as 5G, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), big data for mobility, e-health, Internet of Things (IOT) for smart cities,” said Gambardella.

“数字产业对中欧都非常重要，也意味着双方合作的美好未来。中欧数字协会将重点关注促进双边数字合作关系和有关项目。我们将不遗余力促进双方数字合作重点包括5G，区域链、人工智能、大数据（移动和电子医疗）和物联网（智慧城市）等。”鲁乙己说。

ChinaEU will seek joint efforts with the SRCIC and its members to work on building digital Silk Road, Gambardella added.

The SRCIC has five alliances as sub-organizations, namely the Silk Road Urban Alliance, Enterprise Development Alliance, B&R Association Alliance, Silk Road International Museum Alliance, and Think Tank Alliance. Meanwhile, it has established several platforms including the eSilk Road and the Silk Road International Development Fund.

丝绸之路国际总商会发起成立了丝绸之路城市联盟、丝绸之路企业发展联盟、“一带一路”区域组织联盟、丝绸之路国际博物馆友好联盟和丝路智库联盟等五大联盟机构。丝绸之路国际总商会还发起设立了网上丝绸之路、丝绸之路国际发展基金等多个合作平台。