Singapore. A major digital technology congress kicked off in Singapore on Thursday attended by more than 1,500 government officials, experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, and analysts from more than 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

The Huawei APAC Digital Innovation Congress was held jointly by Chinese tech giant Huawei and the ASEAN Foundation to explore the future of digital innovation, digital economy, and the role of information and communications technology in green and low-carbon development.

"The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most culturally and economically vibrant regions in the world," Ken Hu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman, said in his opening remarks. 

"It has long played an important role in global economic growth, and now plays an equally important role in digital innovation," he continued, citing the fact that many APAC countries have elevated digital transformation to a strategic policy level and are actively going green.

ASEAN Foundation Executive Director Yang Mee Eng was present at the conference along with ministers from ASEAN countries.

"Only a strong digital talent team can achieve an inclusive and resilient digital Asia-Pacific region. The Huawei APAC Digital Innovation Congress 2022 marks another critical milestone in the ASEAN Foundation-Huawei partnership to continue creating a talent development-focused learning ecosystem that will help address the digital skills shortage in the region," she said.

According to ASEAN data, 60 million new digital consumers have been added to the region since the Covid-19 pandemic started, making Asean the third largest internet base with nearly 400 million internet users. ASEAN digital revenue is expected to hit $ 363 billion by 2025.

Also present at the venue were Ajarin Pattanapanchai, Permanent Secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Digital Economy and Society;  Adham Bin Baba, Malaysia's Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation; Satvinder Singh, Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community; and Mustafa Jabbar, Bangladesh's Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.

The conference in Marina Bay Sands involves a mixture of in-person and remote attendees. Indonesian Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno addressed the gathering in a recorded video message.

"As we look for novel solutions and technical breakthroughs to drive transformation across industries in Indonesia, we've just signed a strategic milestone with Huawei to scale up Indonesian digital talent and power up local startups, paving the way for optimum use of technologies as a springboard for industries to recover together and recover stronger," Sandiaga said.