Representatives and participants listen to panelists at the Information Corridor sub-forum of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Karamay, Xinjiang) Forum on Aug 11. [Photo from Yao Jidong/ Karamay Daily]

Senator Khattak, former president of Pakistan's Human Rights Council, addresses the Information Corridor sub-forum of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor Forum (Karamay, Xinjiang) on Aug 11. [Photo from Yao Jidong/Karamay Daily]

An expert answers questions at the Information Corridor sub forum of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Karamay, Xinjiang) Forum on Aug 11. [Photo from Yao Jidong/Karamay Daily]

Nearly a hundred representatives from governments, think tanks and other bodies attended the "Information Corridor" sub-forum of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (Karamay, Xinjiang) Forum on Aug 11.

The sub-forum focused on t co-establishing a China-Pakistan Economic Information Corridor, an important part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Dignitaries from both countries gave speeches at the forum.

"The China-Palestine Information Corridor will be an important platform for policy exchanges, infrastructures connectivity, trade and finance facilitation and the friendship among the people ," said Lu Shan, director of Center for Software and Integrated Circuit Promotion(CSIP) of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

He also said the information corridor can offer professional, comprehensive, transparent and individualized information services to facilitate resource sharing by reducing communication costs and improving accessibility of information.

Senator Khattak, former president of Pakistan's Human Rights Council, said the China-Palestine information corridor will enable Pakistan to learn from China's advanced information technology and promote its development.

"Despite the technology we have acquired, China may help us with technology and make faster breakthroughs. This way, information technology can boost the social and economic development of Pakistan," Khattak continued.

According to Feng Xianguang, director of National Geomatics Center of China, space information is an important foundation for the Information Corridor. The geomatics public service platform aims to offer geomatic information to government, public and businesses. He also discussed the prospects of Pakistan’s national geomatics information service platform.

Lushan said CSIP is leading businesses in "4+1+1" construction : four infrastructure service platforms, one cross-border e-business platform and one security authentication platform. The four infrastructure platforms include a China-Pakistan information portal, an investment and funding platform, an expert talent pool and a cultural and educational training platform. Among these, the information portal is officially online and the others will follow soon. Upon completion, these platforms will offer services in both countries.

Yang Dongri, an official from the CSIP, told reporters that the information corridor will be based on advanced technologies such as cloud computing and big data. The corridor will be constantly updated and optimized to help organizations and businesses from both countries manage information.

According to Li Yun, vice-director of the Cloud Computing Industrial Park Administrative Committee of Karamay, Xinjiang, Karamay has a good foundation in cloud computing and is able to support the Belt and Road information corridor. It has also established China’s first digital oil field and is among the first national smart cities. It is recognized as an advanced information consumption city and has achieved the tri-networks integration.

So far, some big projects have settled down at the industrial parks in Karamay, including Huawei’s cloud service center, China Petroleum (Karamay) Data Center, China Mobile (Xinjiang) Data Center, and a backup center for important information in case of disaster. All of these projects are expected to start operations in the second half of this year. By then, Karamay will have a 20,000 rack capacity. These data centers will be solid infrastructure support for the China-Pakistan Information Corridor.

Li He, general manager of IZP Group said that his company is willing to support the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor via its Silk Road Station. He hopes to offer services in education centers, bonded and export processing zones, financial services, standardized clearance and economic big data.

After the sub-forum, participants from both countries agreed that the information corridor will be a long-term task. The information corridor will be increasingly important with the deepening of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Hosted by Wang Linggui, party secretary of the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the topics at the sub-forum ranged from from general thoughts on the information corridor to the application of its projects. It is sure to stimulate the passion of the participants and will be significant to the corridor’s construction.

Upon completion, the information corridor is expected to be an important public service platform through with resources can be shared and services can be connected.

Edited by Andrew Ancheta