Huawei calls for public-private cooperation to restore trust in technology

The St. Gallen Symposium, an annual gathering of current and future leaders from across the globe, has celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

At the event, 1,000 participants took part in the three-day long cross-generational dialogue online from different parts of the world, including from the University of St. Gallen campus and ten Swiss embassies around the world, said a press release of Huawei.

Catherine Chen, corporate senior vice president and BOD member at Huawei, addressed the student-led initiative.

Other top speakers from the private sector include Christophe Franz, BOD chairman at Roche, Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management at Daimler, Satya Nadella, chief executive officer of Microsoft, and Roshni Nadar Malhotra, chief executive officer of HCL Corporation.

Apart from private sector, political leaders were also present at that occasion including Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, and representatives of transnational organizations, like chairwoman of the Swiss Digital Initiative Doris Leuthard.

They exchanged their views on the theme of this year's symposium, "Trust Matters". Chen believes this will require the joint efforts of policymakers, regulators, and the private sector.

"As more devices feature connectivity, more services go online, and more critical infrastructures rely on real-time data exchanges, so must governments worldwide ensure that everyone is protected by the highest security standards. Only a common set of rules can guarantee a level of security that creates trust in technology," she said.

This year's St. Gallen Symposium kicked off on 5 May.

The event's participants agreed that trust is inherently built on openness and transparency, and that it is time to take concrete, actionable steps to address the common challenges and risks that have emerged in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.