Global buyers seek digital solutions at trade expo in Hangzhou

The 5th Global Digital Trade Expo is underway in Hangzhou, the capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, drawing more than 12,000 international buyers looking for partners, services, technologies, and solutions.

Demand is growing, and so is the event. Compared with the previous edition, the exhibition area has expanded by more than 10,000 square meters, and for the first time, 100 AI-powered scenarios and 100 experience zones have been set up.

"I really love it. I think the German market can learn a lot from the approach of Chinese game development. I hope like bringing Chinese games into the German market," said Koehler, a buyer from Germany.

Beyond Chinese games, international buyers are also showing strong interest in Chinese film and television content, with AI-generated short dramas emerging as a new category on their sourcing lists this year.

"Among all mainstream video models, the top performers are from China, AI short dramas are already very popular in China, so we hope to bring Chinese AI short drama culture to Europe," said Lauter, a buyer from France.

Meanwhile, more high-quality digital services from around the world are making their way into the Chinese market.

"We do very well in medical rehabilitation in Finland, and some of our technologies can help China better implement its Healthy China strategy," said Lauri Tammi, a Finnish entrepreneur.

"Digital trade of course is a big field that Swiss companies are interested in. It's a big market. Well, first of all, it's more than one market. It has also become a place of where you co-innovate," said Raphael Zumsteg-Yuan, a Swiss buyer.

The expo's estimated total international procurement list has already exceeded 1 billion U.S. dollars. Buyers are exchanging business cards and snapping photos of products they want to follow up on.

"So if there's a product that I might be interested in, I take a picture and contact them later," said Zieks, a buyer from Germany

"We have been talking with a lot of partners, probably 10 or something now," Sandvik, a buyer from Norway said.

"I already found five potential collaborations that I want to do. I also talked with the Internet providers and IOT providers. So the ecosystem is really, really present here," said Outamene, a buyer from Algeria.

China now ranks among the world's leading exporters of digital services in fields such as digital technology and digital content.

In the first half of this year, imports and exports of digitally deliverable services grew 6.7 percent year on year, hitting a new high for the same period. Globally, digital trade exports have outpaced overall trade growth for years, showing resilience amid multiple external pressures.

"I believe digital trade will become an even bigger part of the future," said Tan Hann Syn, a Malaysian buyer.

"Focusing on win-win situations where we can cooperate and build together," said U.S. buyer Steve Hoffman.

The five-day event, which concludes on Sunday, is China's only national-level international professional expo focused on digital trade. Since its inaugural edition in 2022, the expo has drawn more than 5,000 Chinese and foreign enterprises, 87,000 professional buyers and 627,000 visitors, with over 1,200 products and technologies making their debut.

Global buyers seek digital solutions at trade expo in Hangzhou

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla on Saturday condemned U.S. decades-long blockade of Cuba as "collective punishment" aimed at triggering a humanitarian crisis, during his address at the 81st UN General Assembly General Debate.

"In Cuba, as is known to all, we face a multidimensional aggression from the U.S. government -- a permanent, abusive, and ruthless hostility that has lasted for nearly seven decades. Since January 2026, it has intensified and become more cruel and dangerous with the imposition of an energy blockade that, through intimidation and coercion, prohibits all countries from exporting fuel to Cuba -- which amounts to a naval blockade, defined under international law as an act of war," he said.

The foreign minister stressed that Cuba is a peaceful country and dismissed the U.S. claim that Cuba poses a threat. "Cuba is not a threat; the blockade is!" he declared.

He also said Cuba does not represent a threat to the United States and stands ready to engage in dialogue with Washington on the basis of sovereign equality and respect for international law.

"We have always been, and remain, willing to engage in dialogue with the U.S. government to seek solutions to our bilateral differences on the basis of seriousness, respect, sovereign equality, and observance of international law, without interference in internal affairs, and with no preconditions," he said.

Cuba slams US blockade as 'collective punishment' at UN General Assembly