Indonesian delegation of 16 companies, four government bodies and two associations attends Global Digital Trade Expo in Hangzhou

KUALA LUMPUR: An Indonesian business delegation of 31 people attended the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE) at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Center, China, from 23 to 26 September 2026.

The delegation, facilitated by the DTI Conference & Expo (DTICX), included representatives of Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs (KOMDIGI), its Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Jakarta Smart City and the Jakarta transport agency; two associations, the Indonesian Telematics Society (MASTEL) and the Indonesia Data Center Provider Organization (IDPRO); and 16 companies, system integrators and technology firms. Sanct Social, a social app for family and close friends available in Malaysia, was among the 16.

GDTE is Hangzhou's annual digital trade fair. The fifth edition opened on 24 September 2026, with AI, smart glasses, cloud services and cross-border trade the most visible themes on the exhibition floor.

Forum, opening and DICE

The first session on the programme was the Industry Conference on AI and Green and Low-Carbon Technology, with the head of Jakarta Smart City among the speakers on zero-carbon regional development. The GDTE opening ceremony followed on 24 September 2026, attended for the delegation by Jakarta Smart City and the IDPRO chairman. The other delegates spent the morning in the exhibition halls before their first business-matching sessions.

That afternoon KOMDIGI's Director of Digital Infrastructure Services gave the opening remarks at the Global Digital Innovation Dialogue for Events (DICE), a forum run with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) at the InterContinental Hangzhou. Its theme was ELEVATE. The day closed with the Night of Digital Trade, the expo's gala evening, which the delegation attended.

Two days of business matching

Days two and three were business-matching days. Delegates met Chinese technology companies one on one at scheduled tables: smart glasses makers, AI model developers, makers of AI accelerator cards and cloud service providers. Every company in the delegation ran its own schedule of meetings.

Sanct Social founder Sion Abednego said the company had sat through the full programme.

"For a start-up, sitting across the table from the people who make these products is the fastest way to understand what is already being built and sold in China. One of the conversations is moving forward, and we may be back next year to see the prototype," he said in a statement.

Closing, and a night on the river

The GDTE closing ceremony ended the third day. The delegation then had dinner on a boat on the river through Hangzhou. The trip fell in the week of the Mid-Autumn Festival, 25 September 2026.

About Sanct Social

Sanct Social is a social app for family and close friends, available for iPhone on the Apple App Store in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. For more information, visit https://sanct.social