Digital transformation emerges as new engine for sustainable development in Asia: report

BOAO, Hainan, March 24 (Xinhua) — Digital transformation has emerged as a new engine for sustainable development in Asia, according to a report by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) released on Tuesday.

Asia has taken the initiative to explore future-oriented development models through digital technologies, striving to translate its diverse economic structures into overall competitiveness and regional resilience, says the report titled “Sustainable Development: Asia and the World Annual Report 2026 — Sustainable Development in Asia amid Global Transformation.”

Digital economy has become a key driver of economic growth in Asia, the report notes, citing figures showing that by 2025, Asia’s digital economy had reached a scale of 27 trillion U.S. dollars, accounting for 46 percent of GDP.

Specifically, artificial intelligence has become a vital driver of social and economic progress across Asia, the report notes.

The widespread adoption and cross-industry deployment of artificial intelligence applications across the Asia-Pacific region are reshaping productivity structures, boosting the productivity of small and medium-sized enterprises, driving job growth and strengthening societal resilience in the public services sector, among other outcomes.

Moreover, the report also highlights another trend in Asia’s sustainable development driven by digital resilience, noting that green digital technologies are leading low-carbon transformation.

Digitalization-driven green manufacturing and smart factories have become the core of industrial upgrading in Asia-Pacific, leading the way in energy efficiency improvements and sustainable growth, the report says.

Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.

Themed “Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation,” the BFA Annual Conference 2026 runs from March 24 to 27 in Boao, a coastal town in China’s southern island province of Hainan.