Belt and Road Forum a dreamed venue to discuss digital silk road: European expert

BRUSSELS -- The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held from May 14 to 15 in Beijing, could be a dream venue for discussing digital silk road featuring 5G communications, a European digital expert told Xinhua.

"The Belt and Road Forum is the most important event of the year which will bring about a new dynamic of cooperation. It seems the dreamed venue to discuss digital silk road and a common roadmap for 5G," said Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a business-led international association in Brussels that promotes digital cooperation.

Gambardella said he was invited to the forum and he believes the Belt and Road Initiative could promote global peace and stability by fostering economic growth and integration of participating countries.

"It contrasts with the current economic stagnation in Europe and other regions of the world," he added. [ As a digital expert, Gambardella suggested that the discussion of the forum not be limited to railway or other types of physical connection. Building a digital silk road and 5G deployment should be prioritized too.

Speaking highly of the new technology, he defined 5G as a faster wireless broadband with a speed at least 1,000 times compared to 4G network and it enables the connection of all possible electronic devices and makes new services like driverless cars possible.

"5G constitutes a technical revolution which will change people's life greatly. I hope those countries cooperate to design and implement smart 5G cities across the Silk Road," Gambardella said.

He called for the establishment of a high-level group of experts for technical support to governments which seek to deploy 5G projects.

"Local governments deserve not only the best 5G infrastructures but a global ecosystem at service level," he said.