WIC forum highlights digital health cooperation

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum on July 22. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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 General Administration of Sport of China, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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.

Faqir Mahbub Anam, minister of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of Bangladesh, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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.

Wu Degang, director of Shaanxi Provincial Health Information Center, delivers a speech at the Digital and Intelligent Health Forum. [Photo/wicinternet.org]

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.