Global Times: Startups from BRI partner countries seek digital collaboration opportunities in China
Foreign startups at China’s Big Data Expo seek BRI digital partnerships, boosting trade, AI, and blockchain innovation.
Beijing, China, Sept. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At the recently concluded 2025 China International Big Data Industry Expo in Guiyang, Southwest China’s Guizhou Province, many foreign participants were particularly keen on seeking digital collaboration opportunities under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Inside the aptly named “Digital Silk Road” matchmaking zone, which was set up by the expo for the first time, the diversity of products and ambitions was palpable.
Singaporean developers promoted intelligent learning systems, a Saudi startup introduced an (artificial intelligence) AI-driven football platform, while Zimbabwean entrepreneurs demonstrated blockchain tools linking African farmers directly to Chinese buyers. Many said they came not just to showcase technologies, but also to seek partners who could help localize and scale their products in China, as well as technology providers to support further development.
Notably, many of these startups are from BRI partner countries, underscoring rapidly expanding cooperation in the digital field between China and countries and regions along the BRI. Meanwhile, there is still vast potential for further cooperation amid the digital transformation, experts noted.
Seeking partners
“We are building a software platform to directly connect African farmers with Chinese manufacturers, cutting out the middlemen. Through digital identities and blockchain, farmers can record their harvests and share transparent data with processors in China. This ensures efficiency and predictability across the supply chain,” Dubuya Thulani, co-developer of Wazisana, a Zimbabwean startup that promotes agricultural transparency, told the Global Times at the expo.
“This transparency empowers farmers to get fair prices and enables manufacturers to trace products from field to factory. Our community has already embraced the system, and we expect to expand from 5,000 users this year to most of Southern Africa next year. We also hope more Chinese buyers will adopt this platform, as it removes middlemen and connects them directly with African farmers – particularly coffee growers, given the strong demand for African coffee in the Chinese market,” Thulani said.
Almiftaah AlnaadirlT, a representative of a Saudi Arabian digital football training platform, said that “this is our first time at the expo in China, and the scale and technological focus here are truly impressive. We are developing a digital football training platform that uses AI and data analytics to help players and teams improve technically and cognitively. Our goal is to bring this technology to China and other Belt and Road countries.”
AI is also becoming an emerging area of digital cooperation. At the expo, Spark OS from Singapore also introduced a platform designed as an AI-powered companion for students, functioning not only as a tutor but also as a behavioral coach, adapting to children’s expressions and learning styles, according to Sein Chan, a representative of Spark OS.
“By combining adaptive learning with emotional feedback, we aim to support under-resourced and neurodivergent children, helping them reach their full potential. With China’s vast market, we see great opportunities to expand and bring these benefits to more students,” Chan said.
New growth point
As the expo spotlighted diverse cooperation models, participants and experts agreed that digital trade is fast emerging as a key driver of Belt and Road cooperation. Exhibitors said that China’s digital ecosystem not only offers business opportunities but also accelerates product testing and adaptation.
“Our platform finds China to be the most practical place for scaling,” said the Singaporean exhibitor Chan. “Chinese schools and companies are open to testing new digital solutions, which helps us refine our product before expanding globally.”
“Beyond exploring the market, I am also seeking technical cooperation. At the expo, I saw many Chinese internet technology providers, and I am in talks with some of them to see if they can help optimize our platform,” Thulani said.
Jiang Yiyi, a vice dean of the School of Leisure Sports and Tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times that China’s strong policy support is creating favorable conditions for cooperation in the digital economy.
The country has rolled out measures to encourage cross-border data flows, build 5G-based digital hubs and promote silk road e-commerce partnerships, all of which lower the cost of entry for overseas innovators, according to Jiang.
The Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) in 2024 released a three-year action plan for digital commerce (2024–2026), which supports “Silk Road e-commerce” cooperation. MOFCOM also said in June that China has 35 Silk Road e-commerce partners.
“The participation of enterprises from BRI partner countries bringing their digital products to China highlights how digital trade has become a new growth point under the BRI China’s vast consumer base and its world-leading middle class purchasing power make the country an unparalleled testing ground and application hub for digital products,” Jiang said.
China has actively promoted cooperation in the digital field. It has signed memoranda of understanding on digital economy cooperation with 26 countries and carried out exchanges with several major regional powers, according to data from the National Data Administration (NDA).
Notably, the number of Silk Road e-commerce partner countries has increased to 35, as NDA reported in August. The total import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce reached 2.63 trillion yuan ($365 billion), a year-on-year increase of 10.8 percent, and the proportion of imports and exports in the total increased to 6 percent, the May report showed.
“The fact that enterprises from BRI partner countries are bringing digital products to China reflects a deeper shift in global digital resource allocation. With its complete industrial ecosystem, vast consumer market and advanced infrastructure, China has become a hub for digital innovation,” Wang Peng, a research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times.
Wang said that this cooperation model not only meets urgent digitalization needs in partner countries, but also aligns with China’s goal of building an open digital economy, forming a positive cycle of technology empowerment, market feedback and ecosystem co-building.
Source: Global Times:
Company: Global Times
Contact Person: Anna Li
Email: editor@globaltimes.com.cn
Website: https://globaltimes.cn
City: Beijing
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