With local technology companies expanding their global presence and strengthening their innovation capabilities, Tongxiang in Zhejiang province is accelerating the development of its robotics, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence industries, according to the city's business leaders.

The city, which hosts the annual World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit, has been leveraging its technological resources and industrial base to attract innovative businesses and support their expansion. This year's summit will be held from Nov 2 to 5 in Wuzhen, a historic water town in Tongxiang.

Singapore's Changi Airport placed its fourth order for commercial cleaning robots from Tongxiang-based CenoBots earlier this year, highlighting the growing global reach of the city's technology companies.

"Cleaning robots are being used in more places," said Shen Jizhong, CenoBots' co-founder and vice-president. "It is much like electric vehicles becoming a familiar sight on the roads — a trend that is gathering pace."

CenoBots has sold products in more than 40 countries and regions. Its customers include British retailer Tesco, the University of Minnesota and pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. The company has supplied about 600 autonomous cleaning robots for Tesco Express stores across the United Kingdom so far this year.

While CenoBots focuses on service robots, TEEMO, another technology company in Tongxiang, develops drive-by-wire skateboard chassis and core components for autonomous vehicles used in last-mile delivery, patrols and logistics.

One of its customers, autonomous delivery-vehicle maker Zelos in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, won all contracts under China Post's procurement program for 7,000 autonomous delivery vehicles.

Other companies in Tongxiang are also developing technologies to help machines better perceive and navigate the real world. Dayan Technology provides synthetic data and development tools for autonomous driving and humanoid robotics companies. Its haptic gloves and multi-camera headsets capture human movement and touch data to help train robots to grasp and handle objects.

Freetech develops intelligent-driving systems and 4D imaging radar for passenger and commercial vehicles. Its AI-powered production-planning system has increased overall efficiency by more than 20 percent at its manufacturing base in Wuzhen, the company said.

"Combining transportation with specialized functions will be a key trend in the future," said Zhang Lin, Freetech's founder and CEO.

AI applications in Tongxiang also extend beyond mobility. Shuhan Technology said its system reduced raw-material consumption by 6 percent at a coal chemical plant, while SENAD develops robots for loading, unloading, sorting and pallet handling.

In computing infrastructure, SynthCool is developing two-phase liquid-cooling systems for AI computing centers. The company said its technology can remove more than 3,000 watts of heat from a single chip.

The 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Wuzhen Summit will take place in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, China, from Nov 2 to 5, WIC announced at a press conference in Beijing on Sept 29 introducing the summit's agenda, highlights and preparations.

The summit will be held under the theme "Open Source and Openness, Collaborative Development and Shared Benefits - Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace."

"Open source and openness emphasize promoting the flow of technology, knowledge and innovation resources in a more open and inclusive way, so that more countries, companies, research institutions and developers can take part in digital technology innovation," said Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the World Internet Conference.

The summit will feature an opening ceremony, a main forum and 27 sub-forums on such topics as cyberspace cooperation under the Global Governance Initiative, global collaborative innovation on trusted, interconnected and interoperable intelligent agents, robotics and embodied artificial intelligence, spatio-temporal intelligence, and digital intelligence for green and low-carbon development. A meeting of the WIC Council will also be held during the summit.

Building on previous editions, this year's summit will feature a range of new events. As part of the summit's main forum, the AI Wuzhen Dialogue will feature a panel discussion on the development of a global open-source AI ecosystem, bringing together several representatives from leading AI companies and experts in AI. Research findings on frontier AI safety and governance will also be released to inform discussions on global internet development and governance in the digital and intelligent era.

"We will invite global leading figures in open-source large models and top scientists to hold the AI Wuzhen Dialogue, to exchange ideas and build consensus, so that the voice of Wuzhen responds to reality and leads trends," said Li Yanyi, a member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and head of the publicity department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee.

Flagship events will also return with new highlights. These include the World Internet Conference Awards for Pioneering Science and Technology, the Release and Presentation of Outstanding Cases of Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace, the Light of Internet Expo, the Global Internet Competition of "Straight to Wuzhen," the World Internet Conference Distinguished Contribution Award, the Global Youth Leadership Program and the WIC Global Elite Training.

The summit is hosted by WIC and organized by the People's Government of Zhejiang Province, with international organizations including the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the World Intellectual Property Organization and GSMA serving as supporting organizations.

Faqir Mahbub Anam, minister of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology and minister of Science and Technology of Bangladesh, called for international cooperation to build a Silk Road of digital and intelligent health.

Anam made the remarks on July 22 at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum, part of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Anam said that the forum addressed the aspirations of countries like Bangladesh, where technology serves as a vital link lifeline rather than a luxury. He noted that with a population of approximately 180 million, Bangladesh is committed to digital transformation under the principle of "leaving no one behind".

Anam commended the establishment of the WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligence Health, describing the formation of the group as a milestone that transforms dialogue into an institutional platform for continuous cooperation.

He called for enhanced knowledge and technology transfer, improved data sharing, and standard recognition, advocating for inclusiveness and innovation to empower global health development through artificial intelligence.

Anam stressed the need for the international community to work together to ensure developing countries have access to technology transfer, capacity building, and data sovereignty, alongside equitable technology access channels.

"Technology must serve humanity, with AI in healthcare reflecting not only technical excellence but also humanistic values," he said.

Anam expressed Bangladesh's desire to participate in international digital health cooperation to extend digital health benefits to more countries and regions.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the World Internet Conference (WIC), addressed the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum during the 2026 WIC Digital Silk Road Development Forum in Xi'an on July 22.

He underscored that digital and intelligent health is bringing opportunities to improve healthcare accessibility, drive pharmaceutical innovation, and promote equitable health outcomes for all.

During the forum, the WIC launched its Digital and Intelligent Health Working Group, a move Ren described as a key step toward fostering specialized and institutionalized cooperation in this field.

Ren outlined three priorities for advancing digital and intelligent health. He called for a people-centered approach to ensure that AI and big data better support disease prevention, clinical care, and health management, while enabling broader sharing of quality medical resources.

He urged stronger innovation-driven integration of digital technologies with the health industry, accelerating the translation of R&D into real-world applications, new products, and new business models.

Meanwhile, he stressed the importance of collaboration and global governance, particularly on data security, algorithm reliability, AI ethics, and mutual recognition of clinical standards, to build a secure, trustworthy, and well-regulated environment.

Ren emphasized that the WIC will utilize the new working group as a platform to unite global stakeholders, deepen practical cooperation, and promote high-quality digital and intelligent health development.

AI-driven dental diagnostic solutions, addressing challenges such as resource imbalance and insufficient standardization, said Zhou Qin, vice-president of the Hospital of Stomatology Xi'an Jiaotong University, at the Digital and Intelligent Health Sub-Forum of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum on July 22.

AI has penetrated the dental field, mainly in three key areas: intelligent imaging diagnostics, personalized treatment design assistance, and accelerated prosthesis processing times.

The Hospital of Stomatology Xi'an Jiaotong University has utilized a computing platform equipped with 22 A100 graphics cards, accumulating a database of 2.5 million patient records and 45.5 million dental images, she said.

Meanwhile, it has introduced three types of AI tools in clinical practice: cranial imaging analysis, reducing manual calculations from 10 minutes to just 10 seconds; AI facial morphology analysis tools, compressing 20 minutes of work into two minutes; and panoramic and intraoral AI diagnostics, which detect cavities, periodontal diseases, and other lesions through multimodal image fusion and auto-generate structured reports.

Furthermore, an AI-powered intelligent craniofacial imaging analysis model developed by the hospital's faculty members has been recognized by the Ministry of Education as an exemplary case for AI education.

The Digital and Intelligent Health Forum, part of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum, was held on July 22 in Xi'an, Northwest China's Shaanxi province.

Centered on the theme "Digital and Intelligent Integration for Health – Building a New Cooperative Ecosystem for Health Innovation", the event brought together government officials, industry leaders, academics, and researchers from around the world to discuss new opportunities for digital health development.

Leaders and experts from domestic and foreign government departments, international organizations, universities, research institutes, medical institutions, and pharmaceutical and tech enterprises delivered speeches, charting a clear course for the global digital health industry.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC, put forward three expectations: adhering to a people-centered approach to benefit the public, driving innovation to deeply integrate new technologies with the health industry, and upholding open cooperation while improving governance.

Cui Jian, vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China, proposed using technology to empower the supply of fitness-for-all services and industry upgrading.

Zhang Donggang, secretary of the CPC Committee of Renmin University of China, advocated for building a new digital health ecosystem through the integration of the humanities and interdisciplinary research.

International voices also focused on inclusivity and equity. Faqir Mahbub Anam, minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of Bangladesh, pointed out that health is a fundamental human right and emphasized that the digital health revolution must benefit every community in Silk Road partner countries and wider regions.

Min Zeyar Hlaing, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Communications of Myanmar, called on the international community to help developing countries bridge the digital divide, build inclusive digital infrastructure, and provide technical capabilities to ensure that the fruits of digital health development reach every community.

Representatives from various sectors engaged in in-depth discussions on key topics such as the co-development of macro-ecosystems, cooperation in intelligent digital services, the use of AI in the pharmaceutical industry, and regional best practices, generating industry solutions through the exchange of ideas.

Francis Gurry, vice-chair of the WIC, noted that open-source large models, open biomedical datasets, and the co-construction and sharing of biobanks are key to solving challenges related to pharmaceutical innovation, intellectual property, and global healthcare equity.

Nii Narku Quaynor, chairman of Ghana Dot Com Ltd, drawing on the Global South's experience in infrastructure development, underscored the vital significance of digital infrastructure, data interoperability, and talent cultivation for the implementation of digital health.

Yang Yang, director of Group Office and head of Group AI Strategy at Hansoh Pharma, proposed breaking down data silos between hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and medical insurance to build a new, collaborative "AI + Pharma" paradigm.

Additionally, guests including Wu Degang, director of Shaanxi Provincial Health Information Center, shared the "Shaanxi experience" of leveraging AI to improve primary healthcare services.

Notably, the WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligent Health was officially established during the forum. Aimed at building a regularized and institutionalized industrial collaboration platform, the working group will pool efforts from all sides to promote technological innovation in medical AI and cross-border cooperation, providing organizational and intellectual support for global industry development.

Liang Hao, executive deputy secretary-general of the WIC and head of the working group, stated that this move marks a substantial step forward in institutionalized cooperation within the field and lays the groundwork for establishing a specialized committee next year.

In recent years, the WIC has consistently focused on the development of digital health, holding related meetings and events in Beijing, the Wuzhen Summit, and the Hong Kong Asia-Pacific Summit. These events have promoted in-depth exchanges among all parties on topics such as AI-empowered healthcare, the digital transformation of hospitals, health inclusivity, and global governance. Supported by cross-border collaboration and technological innovation, the Digital Silk Road will continue to expand cooperation in the future, laying a strong technological foundation for building a community with a shared future in cyberspace and a global community of health for all.

Wang Wenjun, deputy commissioner of the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA), delivered a keynote address at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum during the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum held on July 22 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, focusing on the digitalization of insurance data.

Wang outlined China's advancements in digital and intelligent healthcare insurance infrastructure, emphasizing the NHSA's commitment to the aggregation, management, and application of high-quality insurance data.

Wang added that the NHSA has developed a comprehensive insurance data resource system that serves 1.33 billion insured individuals, documenting their insurance participation, medical treatments, medication purchases, maternity, and long-term care.

The NHSA has also streamlined the pharmaceutical supply chain by aggregating over 260 billion drug traceability codes and continues to enhance traceability systems for medical consumables and traditional Chinese medicine.

The NHSA has focused on the aggregation of medical data by establishing a healthcare imaging cloud containing over 450 million imaging index data entries.

An intelligent governance system has been developed to translate healthcare policies, treatment protocols, and medication standards into quantifiable, executable data.

Ma Xiaowu, executive vice-president of QingSong Health Corp, discussed the role of AI in building a reliable digital health service ecosystem at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum during the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum held on July 22 in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

Ma highlighted QingSong Health's commitment to creating a health service ecosystem, with the core being the AIcare intelligent system, designed for resource allocation, service connection, and business collaboration.

At the heart of AIcare is the Dr.GPT medical health large language model, which integrates medical literature, clinical guidelines, inquiry data, medication data, and patient treatment data.

Dr.GPT prioritizes parameters and response capabilities while focusing on consistency evaluation, medical assessment, and patient safety evaluation systems, ensuring its capabilities are verifiable, traceable, and controllable.

QingSong Health has developed a comprehensive AI medical product suite that encompasses clinical assistance, patient management, health services, science outreach, research, and insurance.

The Dr.GPT assistant integrates a wide range of authoritative medical literature, the latest clinical guidelines, and professional knowledge graphs, supporting evidence-based diagnosis, prognosis guidance, and complex problem-solving.

QingSong Health also launched the MedClaw Skills Store, which offers over 2,000 specialized medical tools by breaking down complex medical tasks into standardized, callable, and combinable components, covering nine core medical application scenarios.

The Forum on Preservation and Transmission of Cultural Heritage in the Digital Intelligence Era, a featured event of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum, was held in Xi'an, Northwest China’s Shaanxi province, on July 22.

Under the theme "Silk Road Heritage and Dialogue among Civilizations in the Digital Era," the forum brought together experts from around the world to explore how digital and intelligent technologies are transforming cultural heritage preservation, revitalization and cross-cultural exchanges.

Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC; Mayra Arevich Marín, minister of communications of Cuba; and Agaseata Tanuvasa Valelio Tanuvasa Peto, minister of communications and information technology of Samoa, attended the forum and delivered remarks.

The World Internet Conference Cultural Heritage Digitalization Case Collection (2026) was officially released at the forum. As a flagship achievement of the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization, the publication features 45 exemplary case studies from 13 countries and regions, showcasing the latest advances in the application of digital technologies across cultural heritage protection, archaeology, exhibition and utilization. It provides a valuable resource for knowledge sharing, experience exchange and international cooperation in cultural heritage digitalization.

Speeches were delivered by Pang Yani, director of Shaanxi History Museum; Gilbert Van Kerckhove, UWEE Group rotating chairman and 2005 Friendship Award winner; Lao Zhu, professor at Peking University, director of the World Arthistory Institute at Shanghai International Studies University, and a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, and others.

Drawing on perspectives from museums, universities, research institutions and enterprises, the speakers shared insights into the latest applications and emerging trends of digital and intelligent technologies in cultural heritage preservation and revitalization. They highlighted research achievements, industry practices and innovative technology solutions, contributing ideas and practical experience to advance the digital preservation of Silk Road heritage and promote dialogue among civilizations.

The forum was hosted by the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization and co-organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Culture and Tourism Department, the Image Lab at Peking University, the China-Arab Research Center for Culture and Tourism Cooperation of Beijing International Studies University, and the World Arthistory Institute at Shanghai International Studies University.

More than 100 representatives from government agencies, cultural institutions, enterprises and universities around the world attended the event.

The Digital and Intelligent Health Forum, part of the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum, was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, on July 22.

Under the theme "Digital and Intelligent Integration for Health — Building a New Cooperative Ecosystem for Health Innovation," the forum aimed to pool global wisdom, drive deep integration of digital and intelligent technologies with health-oriented sectors, and foster an open, collaborative, and win-win innovation ecosystem.

The event featured addresses by Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the WIC; Cui Jian, vice-minister of the General Administration of Sport of China; Zhang Donggang, secretary of the CPC Committee of Renmin University of China; Faqir Mahbub Anam, minister of posts, telecommunications and information technology and minister of science and technology of Bangladesh; Min Zeyar Hlaing, deputy minister of digital development and communications of Myanmar; and Wang Wenjun, deputy commissioner of the National Healthcare Security Administration of China.

During the keynote session, speakers from various backgrounds exchanged insights on a range of topics.

Centered on "Health Innovation Cooperation and Ecosystem Building Driven by Digital Integration," the speakers underscored the profound transformation that digital intelligence technologies are bringing to global health governance and industrial ecosystems, explored ways to break down policy, data, and technology barriers through open collaboration, and called for an inclusive innovation ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders.

They included Francis Gurry, vice-chair of the WIC; Zhao Jing, deputy director of the National Institute of Hospital Administration under the National Health Commission; Hu Jianping, vice-president of the Chinese Health Information and Big Data Association; and Liao Jieyuan, chairman of WeDoctor Group.

Turning to the practical empowerment of health services, Nii Narku Quaynor, chairman of Ghana Dot Com Ltd; Gao Xuecheng, secretary of the Commission for Discipline Inspection of China-Japan Friendship Hospital; and Tang Guohai, founder of Keeson Technology Corporation Limited, shared their insights on how digital tools can enhance service delivery in resource-constrained settings, discussed the upgrade of institutional capabilities, highlighted the expansion of everyday health management scenarios, and illustrated how single-point technological breakthroughs can evolve into broad industry-wide collaboration.

Concerning AI-enabled innovative health applications, Ma Xiaowu, executive vice-president of QingSong Health Corporation; Ding Fengli, CIO of Dong-E-E-Jiao (China Resources Pharmaceutical Group); Yang Yang, director of Group Office and head of Group AI Strategy at Hansoh Pharma; and Wang Zunlong, head of Brand Publicity and ESG and chief compliance officer of Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, shared case studies in traditional Chinese medicine and innovative drug R&D, and offered their respective views on the industry pathways and sustainable development directions for AI-powered health innovation.

Shaanxi's accomplishments were highlighted in the final session, where Su Bin, chairman of Taoding Digital Technology; Zhou Qin, vice-president of the Hospital of Stomatology under Xi'an Jiaotong University; and Wu Degang, director of the Shaanxi Provincial Health Information Center, presented the province's robust practices in building high-quality medical datasets and advancing the integration of medical AI.

The forum also featured the establishment ceremony of the WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligent Health, officially inaugurating the new body. The ceremony was moderated by Wu Lili, program producer of Phoenix TV.

The forum was hosted by the WIC and co-organized by the Shaanxi Provincial Health Commission and the Shaanxi Provincial Internet Information Office. About 100 representatives from government agencies, international organizations, medical institutions, research institutes, and technology and pharmaceutical companies attended the event.

In an interview on the sidelines of the 2026 World Internet Conference Digital Silk Road Development Forum, Yu Panfeng, deputy director of the Spine Surgery Department at Peking University People's Hospital, praised the extensive application of AI in healthcare.

Yu said that AI applications in community hospitals have effectively eased the workload of primary care doctors, creating a win-win situation for the country, patients, companies, and hospitals.

Yu also expressed his expectations for the WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligent Health, which was officially launched during the forum. He said the working group is expected to serve as a bridge and platform. In the future, it is expected to play a coordinating role in leveraging AI to narrow gaps in healthcare quality.

On July 22, the Copyright Empowerment in Cultural Heritage Digitalization Salon was held in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, during the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum. The event was co-hosted by the WIC Digital & AI Academy (WICDA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Office in China, and the Shaanxi Provincial Copyright Bureau.

Sun Daguang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Shaanxi Provincial Committee and minister of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee; Wang Binying, deputy director general of WIPO; Liang Hao, executive deputy secretary-general of the WIC and executive vice dean of the WICDA; and Wang Zhicheng, director of the Copyright Administration of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, attended the salon and delivered remarks. The event was moderated by a representative of the WIC.

During the keynote session, speakers from the WIPO Office in China and Tencent shared insights into how copyright can empower the digitalization of cultural heritage and how the cultural heritage and museum sector can advance innovation while strengthening legal protection in the AI era.

As for the roundtable session, experts from the WIC Specialized Committee on Cultural Heritage Digitalization and the Hainan Free Trade Port Intellectual Property Court, together with representatives from TMTPost, KissFuture, and Starbucks China, engaged in in-depth discussions on leveraging technology to strengthen copyright protection for cultural heritage, promoting the sustainable digitalization of cultural heritage through copyright protection, and advancing the coordinated development of technology and copyright.

The salon attracted more than 90 participants from 14 countries and regions, including representatives of international organizations and government agencies, as well as museum administrators from Shaanxi province, cultural professionals, researchers, and representatives from the digital industry.

The WICDA serves as the WIC's international platform for capacity building and cooperation. Through its salon series, the Academy aims to foster in-depth, cross-sector dialogue through small-scale, highly interactive discussions among closely connected stakeholders. Looking ahead, the Academy will continue to promote exchanges on the digitalization of cultural heritage and bring together expertise from across sectors to support innovation and collaboration.

During the 2026 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum on July 22, Francis Gurry, vice-chair of the World Internet Conference, said in an interview that artificial intelligence is transforming every aspect of the health sector, from research and development to administration. He noted that the greatest opportunity lies in striking the right balance between protecting innovation and ensuring that its social benefits are widely shared.

The WIC Working Group on Digital and Intelligent Health was officially launched during the forum, aiming to be a standing platform for industrial collaboration, bringing together expertise from across the academic, research, industrial and medical communities to advance innovation in medical artificial intelligence and facilitate cross-border cooperation. Gurry said the working group will help promote a better balance between innovation protection and innovation diffusion, and make an important contribution to capacity building and international cooperation in digital health.