High-Quality Development in China-Arab Digital Economy Cooperation:Opportunities,Challenges and Prospect

As the world undergoes a digital transformation,China-Arab cooperation in the digital economy has become a pivotal area of international engagement.This article explores the opportunities,challenges,and prospects of this cooperation,with a particular focus on the Digital Silk Road initiative under the Belt and Road framework.The study highlights the synergies between China’s technological advancements and the digital strategies of Arab countries,examining progress in key areas such as cooperation mechanisms,digital infrastructure,and cross-border e-commerce.Moreover,it identifies significant challenges,including the digital divide and talent shortages,and proposes strategies to enhance China-Arab digital economy cooperation.These strategies include improving digital infrastructure,growing digital talent cultivation,and developing smart city initiatives alongside expanding cross-border e-commerce,all aimed at fostering sustainable and mutually beneficial outcomes.

The Digital Belt and Road program in support of regional sustainability

The Belt and Road initiative has a significant focus on infrastructure,trade,and economic development across a vast region,and it also provides significant opportunities for sustainable development.The combined pressure of climate variability,intensified use of resources,and the fragility of ecosystems make it very challenging,however,to achieve future sustainability.To develop the path in a sustainable way,it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of these issues across nations and evaluate them in a scientific and well-informed approach.In this context,the Digital Belt and Road(DBAR)program was initiated as an international venture to share expertise,knowledge,technologies,and data to demonstrate the role of Earth observation science and technology and big Earth data applications to support large-scale development.In this paper,we identify pressing challenges,present the research priorities and foci of the DBAR program,and propose solutions where big Earth data can make significant contributions.This paper calls for further joint actions and collaboration to build a digital silk road in support of sustainable development at national,regional and global levels.

The Silk Road agenda of the Pan-Eurasian Experiment (PEEX) program

The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road(B&R)aims at facilitating the twenty-first Century economic development of China.However,climate change,air quality and related feedbacks are affecting the successful development of the environment and societies in the B&R geographical domain.The most urgent risks related to the atmospheric system,to the land system and to hydrospheric and cryospheric processes are changing climate-air quality interactions,air pollution,changing monsoon dynamics,land degradation,and the melting of Tibetan Plateau glaciers.A framework is needed in which a science and technology-based approach has the critical mass and expertise to identify the main steps toward solutions and is capable to implement this roadmap.The Pan-Eurasian Experiment(PEEX)program,initiated in 2012,aims to resolve science,technology and sustainability questions in the Northern Eurasian region.PEEX is now identifying its science agenda for the B&R region.One fundamental element of the PEEX research agenda is the availability of comprehensive ground-based observations together with Earth observation data.PEEX complements the recently launched international scientific program called Digital Belt and Road(DBAR).PEEX has expertise to coordinate the ground-based observations and initiate new flagship stations,while DBAR provides a big data platform on Earth observation from China and countries along the Belt and Road region.The DBAR and PEEX have joint interests and synergy expertise on monitoring on ecological environment,urbanization,cultural heritages,coastal zones,and arctic cold regions supporting the sustainable development of the Belt and Road region.In this paper we identify the research themes of the PEEX related Silk Road agenda relevant to China and give an overview of the methodological requirements and present the infrastructure requirements needed to carry out large scale research program.