Mr. Chairman,

China associates itself with the statement by Ecuador on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. I would like to thank the Secretary General for the progress report submitted under this item and the Commission on Science and Technology for Development for its work during its 20th annual session.

The vigorous progress in the innovation and development of ICT throughout the world will produce great effects on and deep changes in people's modes of production and life, and drive forward sustainable economic and social development. In this connection, I wish to make the following observations and proposals:

First, we need to pay greater attention to the role of ICT in promoting the attainment of the SDGs. There is a need to fully recognize the significance of ICT to the sustainable economic and social development of the world, and ensure the utilization of ICT in implementing the 2030 Agenda so as to speed up the realization of the SDGs. This important shared understanding should be clearly established at the national, regional and global levels. We support the CSTD and the TFM in working to build a community of shared destiny in ICT and cyberspace, enhance cooperation in scientific and technological innovation with ICT as the core and fully leverage the role of ICT in the achievement of the SDGs.

Secondly, we need to reinforce capacity building and increase effort to bridge the digital divide. With the digital divide between developed and developing countries and among different countries and regions as well as gender digital divide remaining, it is necessary to work vigorously at the global level to narrow this gap by actively popularizing the application of ICT so that all countries can get equal access to development opportunities created by ICT. The priority should be placed on meeting the needs of developing countries in the field of ICT by helping them with the related infrastructure and capacity building. This will help strengthen the global endeavor to facilitate mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and effectively contribute to the comprehensive implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the realization of the SDGs.

Thirdly, we need to build a community of shared destiny in ICT and cyberspace and further improve the global partnership for development. In order to ensure that ICT serve sustainable development, we need to strengthen North-South cooperation and South-South cooperation, improve the global partnership for development, encourage knowledge sharing and technology transfer, energetically support developing countries in ICT capacity building, and work to bridge the digital divide by such ways as technical training and assistance, exchange of experience and transfer of knowhow. This is the only way to enable all peoples of the world to jointly share the latest fruit of the development of ICT and cyberspace and advance the sustainable economic and social development of the whole world.

Mr. Chairman,

China is implementing its strategy of innovation driven development. My country has formulated the Outline of the National Informatization Strategy and released the International Strategy of Cooperation on Cyberspace. On one hand, we are working hard to develop ICT and promote the synchronized development of new industrialization, informatization, urbanization and agriculture modernization. On the other hand, we are promoting international cooperation on ICT and cyberspace technology with a view to advancing common development, bridging the digital divide and ensuring the sharing by all the development results of ICT and cyberspace technology.

While working to continuously improve its ICT infrastructure building, China has formulated a plan to reduce poverty using internet technology in an effort to narrow the digital divide between the urban and rural areas. ICT and internet technology are applied more and more widely to various areas of China's economic and social development and are playing an increasingly important role in promoting China's economic and social development characterized by innovation, coordination, green economy, openness and benefit sharing.

China stands ready to enhance cooperation and exchanges with all countries of the world to share its experience in utilizing ICT and internet technology to advance sustainable development. We are willing to work together with other member states to promote innovation driven development and scale up efforts to build a "people-centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society". China has formally started the building of innovation demonstration zones on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and is ready to contribute China's strength to the scaled up efforts for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.