This photo released by the Global Internet Competition of “Straight to Wuzhen” on its official website shows the poster about the details of the competition.
Internet professionals and industry leaders gathered at Hong Kong’s Cyberport on Friday for the Asia-Pacific leg of a global internet competition, aiming to foster collaboration on a new digital ecosystem and advance technological and industrial innovation.
As one of the flagship events of the World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit, the “Straight to Wuzhen” Global Internet Competition explores new technologies, models, and formats in internet development. It serves as a key platform for cooperation among internet projects, technologies, talent, and capital.
This year’s Asia-Pacific round was held in Hong Kong, where 12 teams from various regions — including Hong Kong itself — were selected from nearly 100 submissions to showcase their innovative achievements during Friday’s roadshow.
Cui Jianhui, a representative from the Zhejiang Commercial Representative Office in Hong Kong (GBA) noted that Zhejiang and Hong Kong have always maintained close economic and trade cooperation ties.
The HKSAR is a vital bridge for Zhejiang enterprises, and approximately 130 Zhejiang-based companies are listed in Hong Kong, he added, stressing that the internet competition has been inextricably linked with Hong Kong since its inception, as the city had hosted the Asia-Pacific semi-final for the inaugural “Straight to Wuzhen” Global Internet Competition in 2019. Since then, the World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit had kicked off in the SAR for the first time in April.
Tony Wong Chi-kwong, commissioner for Digital Policy Office of Hong Kong, said that the competition is an international cooperation platform for linking technology, talents, and capitals, as well as accelerating the modernization of the industrial system.
As an international innovation and technology hub, Hong Kong has always actively participating in global internet development. Wong noted that the previous World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit had attracted nearly 1,000 industry leaders and experts from over 50 countries and regions. With the summit returning to Hong Kong in 2026, he said he hoped that the SAR would further deepen its cooperation with the event.
During the project roadshow, each of the 12 participating teams was given seven minutes to present their cutting-edge technologies, achievements, and future prospects. Their presentations focused on various AI applications, such as animation production and healthcare. This was followed by a three-minute question and answer session with the judges, after which the finalists were announced.
The global internet competition of “Straight to Wuzhen” has attracted 5,500 top projects to participate over the past six years since its inception. Among the 250 awarded projects, over half have secured new rounds of financing after the event, totaling nearly 90 billion yuan ($12.62 billion).
A judge appointment ceremony and certificate presentation session were also held before the roadshow.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com