The 10th Regional Leaders' Summit was held on Nov 11 by Upper Austria via online channels, under the theme of "Smart Regions".

Shandong officials attend the 10th Regional Leaders' Summit via online channels on Nov 11. [Photo/sdfao.gov.cn]

Officials of seven sister provinces and states, including Bavaria of Germany, Upper Austria of Austria, Quebec of Canada, the Western Cape of South Africa, Georgia of the United States, Sao Paulo of Brazil, and Shandong province of China attended the meeting and delivered speeches respectively.

Ji Binchang, vice governor of Shandong, delivers a speech at the meeting. [Photo/sdfao.gov.cn]

Ji Binchang, vice governor of Shandong, provided an overview on the construction of digital infrastructure, digital economy, smart parks, and digital government in Shandong province.

Upper Austria's governor Thomas Stelzer discussed the positive role innovation chains play in local education, research, and economy.

Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape, said that the local government will set up innovation centers, as well as promote data and analytics capacity building to create a good environment for people and businesses.

According to a senior official from Bavaria, the government should focus on innovation and sustainable development, as well as use digitization to improve people's quality of life.

As digital technology, information and communication technology, as well as artificial intelligence play an increasingly important role in economic life, the government should consider how to use innovative technologies to improve people's livelihoods and create wealth, said an official from Quebec.

An official from Georgia gave an overview of the development achievements made by innovative industries and smart cities in Georgia, as well as the important role of innovation centers and inclusive innovation partnerships in social development.

Officials attend the meeting. [Photo/sdfao.gov.cn]

An official from Sao Paulo stated the importance of innovative infrastructure construction in creating a smart region.

In 2002, Shandong, Bavaria, Upper Austria, Quebec, and the Western Cape jointly initiated the Regional Leaders' Summit. Georgia and Sao Paulo joined the summit in succession.

The summit is held every two years by rotating provinces and states. To date, more than 300 bilateral and multilateral cooperation projects have been agreed upon under the summit mechanism.

Shandong will host the 11th summit in 2023 under the theme of "Green Development".