BEIJING, July 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Global Digital Economy Conference 2026 opened in Beijing on July 2. At the opening ceremony, several major outcomes were unveiled, including the 2026 Global Digital Economy Cities Report and the 2026 Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Cases, injecting new momentum into the development of global digital cities.
The 2026 Global Digital Economy Cities Report, released by the Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance, systematically reviews the pathways, models, and types of urban digital development. Against the backdrop of accelerating global digital transformation, the report addresses key questions such as how the digital economy reshapes cities, how cities shape the digital economy, and what responsibilities future cities should bear. The report makes clear that “digital friendliness” is a key value orientation for future urban digital transformation, emphasizing that digital technologies should not only support industrial upgrading and urban governance, but also be tangible to citizens, accessible to businesses, and within reach of society at large.
As one of the major outcomes of Global Digital Economy Conference 2026, the 2026 Global Digital Economy Lighthouse Cases – jointly released by the International Telecommunication Union, the International Trade Centre, and the Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance – selected 13 Lighthouse Cases from more than 300 candidate projects worldwide. They cover six directions: collaborative digital urban governance, inclusive digital public services, climate-resilient urban infrastructure, digital empowerment for livelihood income enhancement, low-carbon smart space and mobility, and inclusive digital services for vulnerable groups, systematically responding to the core objectives of the Global Digital Compact. Among them, Beijing’s “Jingban” smart government platform, Jakarta’s JAKI Super App, Madrid’s “Digital Capital”, Istanbul’s IBS Smart Firefighting, and BrainCo’s smart prosthetics provide practical references in areas such as digital governance, green resilience, and social inclusion.
At the opening ceremony, a special action was also launched to improve digital service convenience for inbound foreigners in major Chinese cities, jointly carried out by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), and the Ministry of Commerce, jointly with Beijing, Shanghai, and other cities.
This year’s conference is co-hosted by the Beijing Municipal People’s Government, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the National Data Administration (NDA), Xinhua News Agency, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Data Organization (WDO), and the Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance, under the theme “Building a Digital-friendly City: Inclusive Intelligence, Borderless Connectivity.”
Source: Global Digital Economy Conference 2026
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