Macao forum highlights digitalization, innovation in global infrastructure projects

The 15th International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum (IIICF) kicked off in Macao Thursday, with industry leaders stressing the importance of digitalization and innovation in building more sustainable and interconnected global infrastructure.

Over 3,500 industry representatives from more than 70 countries and regions attended the event titled "Green Innovative Digital Connectivity."

China's Vice Minister of Commerce, Guo Tingting, pledged her ministry's commitment to green infrastructure development through policy dialogues and practical cooperation in areas such as green energy, transportation, and finance.

Meanwhile, the exhibition area of this year's forum has been expanded by 60 percent compared to the previous editions, showcasing projects of global infrastructure connectivity.

Praising the forum's collaborative approach, Uzbekistan's Minister of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, Aziz Abdukhakimov, emphasized the value of uniting policymakers, companies, and government representatives to explore new avenues for economic development.

Wang Bin, president of China's Power Construction Corporation, underscored the growing importance of green innovation and digitalization within the infrastructure industry.

Fang Qiuchen, chairman of the China International Contractors Association, noted the forum's broader impact, extending to China's Belt and Road Initiative.

"The most important and prioritized area of the Belt and Road Initiative is infrastructure connectivity. The annual IIICF in Macao also focuses on international infrastructure cooperation. Now we are building it into an important international cooperation platform serving the Belt and Road Initiative, especially infrastructure connectivity. I believe that the Belt and Road Initiative will achieve solid progress in the future," he said.

The forum, co-organized by the China International Contractors Association and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, will conclude on Friday.

Macao forum highlights digitalization, innovation in global infrastructure projects

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship