"Technology evolves, policies shift, yet the central tenet of 'building a community with a shared future in cyberspace' remains constant." " During the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, the remarks of Fang Xingdong, Executive Vice President of the School, were featured in the Zhejiang Daily. Throughout the summit, the School not only actively participated in global digital governance discussions through co-organising the "Witnessing Digital Civilisation in Tongxiang" series of Wuzhen Café gatherings, but also contributed Zhejiang's wisdom and Zhejiang University's solutions to global cyberspace development through its "Digital Commonality" theory.
Recently, the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit convened in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province. Centred on the theme "Building an Open, Cooperative, Secure and Inclusive Digital Future: Jointly Constructing a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace," the summit gathered over 1,600 delegates from more than 130 countries and regions. Participants engaged in in-depth exchanges on cutting-edge topics including artificial intelligence, the digital economy, and global internet governance.
As one of the summit's highlights, Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture collaborated with Wuzhen Town People's Government, the Wuzhen Institute for Digital Civilisation, and other organisations to jointly plan and host the "Witnessing Digital Civilisation in Tongxiang" series of events.
Marking the tenth anniversary of the concept of "Building a Community of Shared Future in Cyberspace", the School partnered with institutions including the China Internet Network Information Centre, the China Internet Governance Forum, and ChinaLabs Internet Laboratory, alongside enterprises such as Shenzhen Kaikong and Blue Focus, to create the "Seeing Digital Civilisation in Tongxiang" series of gatherings. This initiative promotes deep integration between industry, academia and research, helping local practices reach the international stage.
Under the guidance of the Internet Society of China, the China Internet Governance Forum and the Wuzhen Institute for Digital Civilisation jointly organised the "Wuzhen Café Gathering – China Internet Governance Forum Expert Seminar", planned and executed by a team from the School of Journalism and Communication at Zhejiang University. The event adopted a "small yet focused" exchange format, centring discussions around themes such as "IGF's Twentieth Anniversary: The Evolutions and Constants in Digital Governance" and "Industry Observations." Six thematic dialogues were established covering data governance, AI ethics, open-source ecosystems, ESG, and digital civilisation, thereby creating an exchange platform for global internet governance professionals.
Earlier, Fang Xingdong delivered a speech entitled "Seeking Common Ground for Digital Civilisation Amidst Change and Constancy". He noted: "At this pivotal juncture of 'AI ubiquity', while technology evolves and policies shift, the overarching principle of 'building a community with a shared future in cyberspace' remains unchanged, as does humanity's collective pursuit of digital civilisation."
This perspective embodies the "Digital Communion" theory proposed by Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture – breaking down technological, institutional and cultural barriers through communication and dialogue to advance from "connection" to "symbiosis" and from "interconnection" to "synergy".
During multiple panel discussions, Fang Xingdong emphasised that Tongxiang's digital initiatives serve as a vivid illustration of the "community with a shared future in cyberspace" concept, while "digital commonality" aims to transform such local experiences into replicable, globally shared wisdom. He further noted: "One of China's vital missions is to address the digital divide by supporting developing nations worldwide. Technological advancement must not only drive economic growth but also foster a virtuous cycle where technology propels the economy and economic progress reinvigorates technological innovation, thereby achieving inclusive development." Moving forward, Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture will continue to inject vibrant Zhejiang elements into the concept of "building a community with a shared future in cyberspace" through precise alignment of academic research with industrial needs and the bidirectional exchange of local expertise and global insights.
Additionally, the Global AI Innovation Accelerator, spearheaded by relevant teams from Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture, made its official debut at the Wuzhen Café Hub. It announced the launch of a triple-innovation centre centred on "academic research, industrial demand, and entrepreneurial empowerment." Over the next five years, the accelerator plans to accelerate 500 early-stage AI projects, empower 500 entrepreneurs with AI upgrades, and cultivate 500 multidisciplinary AI innovators, thereby building a globally integrated innovation network that fuses industry, academia, and research.
From the deep integration of "intellectual discourse" to "practical implementation", from the refinement of theoretical concepts to engagement with industry issues, and from the sharing of research findings to the exchange of practical experience, Zhejiang University's School of Media and International Culture has harnessed the dual forces of academic research and intellectual dissemination. This has provided fresh perspectives and solutions for the concept of "building a community with a shared future in cyberspace" at the 2025 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit.
