A Digital Silk Road inspired by China’s Belt and Road Initiative

• Group of academics from Austria in Hong Kong to promote new international exchange platform

Inspired by their travels to countries along both the Silk Road and China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a group of young Austrian academics are set to launch a new digital platform to encourage experts across Europe and Asia to connect and work together.

 

Led by 27-year-old Sebastien Holler, who studies global history and international development at the University of Vienna, the Europe Goes Silk Road team was in Hong Kong this week on the last leg of their 33,000km journey across Europe and Asia, which started in Vienna and will end in Beijing.

 

The team met Lee George Lam, chairman of financial technology hub Cyberport to discuss their idea for an international exchange platform, described as “like Amazon, but for experts to find each other”, which they plan to call “Marcovision”, after the explorer Marco Polo.

 

“We think Hong Kong is the perfect place to launch a network like this because of its central role in the Silk Road and the European and Asian mix within its identity,” says Florian Krendl, who handles public relations for Europe Goes Silk Road.

By : Zoe Low

Source : South China Morning Post