The 2025 World Internet Conference (WIC) Digital Silk Road Development Forum opened on Thursday in Quanzhou City, east China's Fujian Province, the historic starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road.
Over 600 senior representatives from international organizations, Belt and Road countries and regions, internet companies, and academia gathered in the port city to explore new directions for building the Digital Silk Road.
Attendees noted that President Xi Jinping's proposal for the joint construction of the Belt and Road, along with the development of a Digital Silk Road, has provided clear guidance for high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and for jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.
As a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation accelerates, the significance of developing the Digital Silk Road becomes even more evident, the attendees said.
They emphasized the spirit of win-win cooperation to drive innovative development in the digital economy and stressed the need to manage and govern cyberspace in accordance with the law to ensure cybersecurity.
They underscored the importance of respecting the cyber sovereignty of all nations while calling for efforts to improve the global internet governance system.
They also highlighted the necessity of adopting an open and inclusive attitude to foster exchanges and mutual learning among human civilizations.
Global representatives gather in Quanzhou to charter new course for Digital Silk Road
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.
The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.
The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.
The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.
The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
