What Makes This 'Program' in HK SAR So Exceptional?

With tides surging in Victoria Harbour and the digital-intelligent era in full swing, the 2025 World Internet Conference Asia-Pacific Summit was held in Hong Kong SAR, China, from April 14 to 15 under the theme "Integration of AI and Digital Technologies Shaping the Future – Jointly Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace" Alongside the summit, a digital academy cybersecurity emergency response advanced training program also kicked off in Hong Kong SAR. This highly anticipated training program marked a significant milestone — it is the first time that the WIC Digital Academy has focused on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity for an advanced training program, following previous programs on digital economy and cross-border e-commerce.

As AI and cybersecurity increasingly converge, pressing questions arise: How do we fortify digital defenses in an AI-driven world? How do we shape a new paradigm for cybersecurity? These are not only concerns of the present era but also challenges demanding urgent solutions.

This is precisely why the program attracted over 30 high-level representatives from government bodies and leading enterprises involved in cybersecurity, communications, and digital affairs across Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, as well as China's Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, and Macao SAR. The program stood out for its high-level, expert-driven, and Asia-Pacific-centered nature — factors that explain the widespread attention it received.

One defining feature of this program was its combination of intellectual depth and applied relevance. Every expert opinion offered new insight, contributing to the collective intelligence needed to safeguard cyberspace in the AI era. Zhang Bo, Assistant President of Topsec Technologies Group, noted that AI is both a powerful engine for cybersecurity and a new source of risk. Its "double-edged sword" effect is reshaping the foundational logic of digital-era security — demanding the creation of a new cybersecurity paradigm to match. Pang Siming, a blue team security architect at Sangfor Technologies, emphasized that understanding both the capabilities and limitations of AI in cyber offense and defense is key to building more effective strategies and enhancing situational awareness.

Participants reported substantial benefits from the program. Drawing on responses from a pre-course cybersecurity survey, the WIC Digital Academy and its expert groups curated sessions and discussions tailored to the shared concerns and challenges of Asian countries and regions. Throughout the training, participants engaged in pragmatic, solution-oriented dialogues with instructors, grounded in local cybersecurity challenges and urgent developmental needs. Yoga Sangkan Prasetya, a participant from Indonesia, shared that, facing mounting cyber threats, countries must work together regionally to develop systematic solutions. He expressed hope to transform the insights gained into actionable plans to strengthen Indonesia's cybersecurity capacity and safeguard national security in the digital era.

With a curriculum centered on cutting-edge topics such as building new cybersecurity paradigms for the intelligent digital era, AI-powered cyber offense and defense, and the application of generative AI in cybersecurity, the program offered participants a valuable opportunity to engage with global developments, absorb new knowledge, and maximize results through interaction.

More than building consensus, this training program also sparked ideas on how to deepen cooperation and share governance outcomes. As Li Heng, Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy in Asia-Pacific at Kaspersky, aptly put it: "Only by integrating localized defense needs with transnational coordination mechanisms can we build a sustainable cybersecurity ecosystem in the Asia-Pacific region".

In a time when AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, this training program has served as a spark — illuminating technical paths for collaborative governance while reflecting China's commitment to shaping global digital rules. One thing is certain: this collision of ideas in Hong Kong SAR will spark more cross-border collaborations, turning cybersecurity into a true cornerstone of digital civilization.