Philippines, China ink accord on ‘enhanced digital cooperation’ —DICT

The Philippines and China have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to enhance cooperation and exchange in the digital and information and communications technology (ICT) sectors, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said Friday.

The MOU was signed on January 4, 2023, by DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy for the Philippines and by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) Minister Jin Zhuanglong for China.

The MOU was among 14 bilateral agreements inked during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s state visit to the People’s Republic of China.

"The signing of this memorandum of understanding between DICT and China’s MIIT is foremost an affirmation of our respective nations' desire to continue to deepen our existing bilateral relations and to promote useful exchanges in the areas of digital and ICT cooperation," said Uy. 

"This will strengthen digital cooperation between our countries, such as in the areas of emerging technologies, telecommunication, digital governance, and radio spectrum management, among others," added the DICT chief.

The DICT said the MOU covers the exchange of knowledge, technical expertise, and best practices in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), 5G, cloud computing, the Internet of Things, industrial internet, big data, analytics, and robotics; enhanced support for the pragmatic cooperation between Philippine and Chinese enterprises in the telecommunication industry; and exchange of best practices about 6G vision requirements and 5G use cases, as well as 5G and 6G technology innovation, 6G system concepts, and architecture.

In the area of e-governance, the two nations agree to exchange knowledge and share best practices in digital government strategy, digital government services, and digital identity, according to the ICT department.

The two countries will also exchange best practices about data center design standards and explore potential partnerships to establish data center projects in accordance with international standards for facility design, operations, and data privacy and security. 

"This MOU between the Philippines and China will also pave the way for further agreements for the execution of projects or activities on ICT, and will support our country’s efforts to improve and accelerate digitalization in line with the priorities of President Marcos," said Uy.  —VBL, GMA Integrated News