Huawei has participated in the “Rural areas in 2040: Addressing global challenges of rural areas with Smart Villages” high-level debate. This event was organized in the context of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and was held at the EXPO 2020 in Dubai.

The debate was attended by European Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica, who highlighted the importance of rural development for the EU’s long-term competitiveness.

Speaking at the forum, Huawei Chief Representative to the EU Institutions Tony Jin Yong underlined that support for rural connectivity in Europe is a key priority for Huawei: “The Smart Villages initiative has at its heart the ideal of cooperation and collaboration, values that we at Huawei share”. Mr. Jin also underlined that rural areas have a key role to play in the fight against climate change: “The potential of rural areas to contribute to the global good when it comes to tackling climate change is an untapped resource. Huawei has been working hard in the past years on a new generation of digital solar inverters and power storage – which can become the green solution to Europe’s energy challenges”.

Praising the spirit of this Expo Dubai 2020 (Connecting Minds, Creating the Future), Mr. Jin invited the EU to “celebrate the power of global collaboration to build a greener and smarter world”: “I am convinced that if we all play our part, if we harness the potential of digital solutions, we can turn the challenges faced by our rural areas into opportunities. We have what is needed to make it happen. Let’s work together for a greener, smarter future where no one is left behind.”