With the theme "Building a Digital-Friendly City", the 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference opened here on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

This photo taken on July 2, 2025 shows the inaugural ceremony of the Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing. 

The Global Digital Economy Cities Alliance was initiated by Beijing -- alongside partner cities in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Latin America -- during the Global Digital Economy Conference 2025, which opened on the same day.

The alliance aims to institutionalize multilateral collaboration beyond bilateral projects, focusing on key issues such as digital infrastructure, cross-border data governance, AI ethics and smart city applications.

A visitor tries an MR device at an exhibition area of the 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing, capital of China, July 2, 2025.

Guests attend the opening ceremony of the 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference in Beijing, capital of China, July 2, 2025.