On May 18th, a crowd of more than 50 experts on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) Research from both EU and China gathered together at the Spainish Pavilion´s auditorium for a one-day conference on the current development of information technology and the future of digital cities in the digital age.

Among the particpants were Mr. Paolo Rosa, Head of Division at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Mr. Pekka Sauri, Deputy Mayor of Helsinki, Finland, Prof. Yang Xiaoguang, Director of ITS Research Center at Shanghai Tongji University, and Mr. Wu Jianping, Director of China´s Education and Research Network, among others. Four sessions of roundtable discussions and presentations were held to explore issues surrounding topics how to use information technologies to build and maintain sustainable cities.

Echoing Shanghai Expo´s slogan «Better Cities, Better Life», the «Digital Cities» conference was especially paying attention to the relationship between environemental preservation, urban management, transportation, and the role of information technologies in these aspects. As Mr. Rosa said, simple things such as a universal standard of electric plugs would not only save a great amount of energy, but also make individual traveler´s life easier.

The conference, sponsored by European Commision´s «Information Society» Division concluded with a panel headlining the important points in the ICT field that EU and China can collaborate on in the future.