Bringing numbers to everyone and using ICT technology to promote sustainable development, the CEO of Huawei Cambodia proposed the key elements of digital ASEAN

Asia TravelerSeptember 15, 2022

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ASEAN Leadership and Partnership Forum, September 11-12, 2022

The 2022 ASEAN Leaders and Partnership Forum (ALPF) will be held in Phnom Penh on September 11-12, 2022. As the chairman of ASEAN in 2022, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen presided over the opening ceremony on the morning of the 12th. September 2022 and an opening speech. Mr. Sovann Yao, CEO of Huawei Cambodia, attended the forum and spoke at the “Digital ASEAN” session together with seven other panelists from the digital field.

In his opening address, Prime Minister Samdech said, “I propose the establishment of the ASEAN Green Deal to enable the region to gradually transition to sustainable, resource-efficient and resilient communities.”

“ASEAN must pay special attention to and promote economic security to meet all basic and basic needs of our citizens and ensure inclusive and equitable participation in domestic and regional economies by developing strategic infrastructure, enhancing entrepreneurship, providing support to micro, small and medium enterprises growth, strengthen education, health and social protection, narrow development gaps, create jobs, reduce income inequality and ensure food security,” the prime minister added.

The forum consisted of five panel discussion sessions covering a wide range of topics including ASEAN post-pandemic recovery, strengthening ASEAN centrality, digital ASEAN, promoting entrepreneurship and ASEAN connectivity.

Participating in the Digital ASEAN Conference, Mr. Sovann emphasized, “As one of the most populous and dynamic regions in the world, with 125,000 new users going online every day, ASEAN will be among the top 5 digital economies by 2025. We all know digital importance. Thanks to the emergence of new technologies such as 5G, cloud and artificial intelligence, online communication, daily business operations can be carried out smoothly to keep the business on track.”

He further emphasized four key elements of digitalization, namely digital infrastructure, digital platforms and ecosystems, talent development and green sustainable development. He also elaborated on Huawei’s contribution to the digital transformation of ASEAN, especially Cambodia.

“Digital infrastructure, especially connectivity including mobile networks, fiber optic networks, is the foundation of digitalization. Digital platforms and ecosystems require cooperation between all sectors, whether public or private. For example, in ASEAN, Huawei Supporting more than 10,000 start-ups in the ASEAN region every year, and the same effort in Cambodia, supporting the growth of more than 200 start-ups. Some of them have grown into leaders in their fields. Also, we believe that the younger generation will define digital The future of the country and the hope for the future prosperity of all countries; therefore, digital talents are crucial. In ASEAN, Huawei cooperates with various stakeholders to train more than tens of thousands of talents every year, and in Cambodia, more than 1,000 people upgrade their skills with us. In In terms of sustainable development, we believe that green power and smart photovoltaic solar technology are important means to obtain green power supply. Sustainable development is the goal of all walks of life. Take Phnom Penh Royal Hospital as an example. It has generated 500,000 kWh through Huawei’s new technology green electricity and won the title of Best Hospital in Cambodia in 2021,” said Mr. Sovann Yao.

“Cambodia and ASEAN as a whole has great potential in terms of digitization, but also faces great challenges. To this day, a large number of people are still not connected, especially in remote areas. I hope we can look at these areas and provide support so that Everyone can share in the benefits of digital connectivity,” argued Mr Yao.

The ALPF is an important forum that brings together leaders from government, business, think tanks and civil society to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing ASEAN and the way forward under the new normal. Focusing on “Building a Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN Partnership”, ALPF 2022 attracted more than 300 senior representatives from the public and private sectors in the ASEAN region and beyond. During the forum, other key issues in ASEAN as well as business and investment opportunities were also discussed with encouraging results.