During the 10th Silk Road International Exposition, the Yan‘an Cross-border Digital Trade Service Center achieved a series of international cooperation milestones. Following the signing of a cross-border digital trade platform cooperation agreement with Mongolia’s Govi-Sümber Province on May 21, on the afternoon of May 23, a delegation led by Mr. Charles Muwonge, Secretary to the President of Uganda, held a special meeting with the Center‘s leadership in Xi‘an, facilitated and accompanied throughout by the Shaanxi Sub-council of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). The two sides held in-depth discussions on the GEDIS framework and, embracing the collaboration philosophy of “Harmonious Coexistence, Shared Value Creation,” formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly build a China-Uganda cross-border digital trade service platform. This marks the first time Shaanxi’s digital trade innovations have been introduced to Africa, injecting new digital momentum into deepening China-Africa economic and trade cooperation.

Silk Road Expo Opportunity: From Mongolia to Uganda, the Yan‘an Digital Solution Accelerates Its Global Expansion

The 10th Silk Road International Exposition, themed “Connecting Global Markets, Deepening Practical Cooperation,” provided an important international stage for Shaanxi’s digital trade innovations. From Mongolia‘s Govi-Sümber Province to the Republic of Uganda, the GEDIS mechanism has gained strong recognition from international partners within just days — the Expo’s spillover effects are rapidly translating into tangible cross-border cooperation.

Xi‘an Talks: GEDIS Mechanism Receives High Recognition from African Partners

During the meeting, the Yan’an Cross-border Digital Trade Service Center presented the technical architecture and operational framework of GEDIS (Global Ecosystem for Digital Interoperable Settlement, Chinese name “Hua Yuan Hui Tong”). The system, powered by Decentralized Identifiers (DID) and Content Identifiers (CID), operates through a parallel mechanism of “smart contracts + legal contracts” to achieve mutual identity recognition, trusted data exchange, and interconnected assets — effectively addressing pain points in traditional cross-border cooperation such as information asymmetry, performance monitoring difficulties, and low settlement efficiency.

The Ugandan delegation expressed strong interest in the GEDIS mechanism. Mr. Charles Muwonge remarked: “This system provides a fairer, more transparent, and more efficient rule-based framework for enterprises in developing countries to participate in global digital trade. It holds significant practical value for Uganda‘s key industries — including agriculture, livestock, and mining — to expand globally.”

Agreement Signed: “Harmonious Coexistence, Shared Value Creation” Enshrined in the MoU

Building on thorough exchanges, the two sides reached a consensus on jointly building a China-Uganda cross-border digital trade service platform and signed a Memorandum of Understanding. “Harmonious Coexistence, Shared Value Creation” was enshrined as the core philosophy of the partnership.

Under the MoU, the parties will leverage the GEDIS mechanism to integrate Uganda‘s distinctive industries into the cross-border digital trade network, establish DID/CID identity and data systems, and convert Uganda’s land, raw materials, and labor, along with China‘s technology, standards, and equipment, into measurable and tradable digital assets (G-TRAC warrants), with smart contracts enabling automated settlement and revenue sharing. The Ugandan side indicated that it would promptly report to higher authorities and actively promote the integration of the GEDIS mechanism into Uganda’s national digital economy development framework.

Significance and Outlook: Building a “Digital Silk Road” Between Shaanxi and Africa

This partnership marks another successful overseas expansion of Yan‘an’s digital trade innovations, following the Mongolia project. It signifies that the GEDIS rules have gained recognition from an African nation, establishing an economic and trade bridge connecting Shaanxi and Uganda.

A representative from the Yan‘an Cross-border Digital Trade Service Center stated that, in accordance with the MoU, the parties will complete preliminary connectivity testing between the GEDIS network and Ugandan nodes within six months, with the first batch of pilot projects to be rolled out. The Center will continue to provide comprehensive support services, enabling more Yan’an enterprises and Shaanxi technologies to participate in shaping new global digital trade rules and contributing Yan‘an’s strength to the implementation of the “Digital Silk Road” and the advancement of China-Africa friendly economic and trade cooperation.