Sixteen companies, four ministries and agencies, two associations: inside the Indonesian delegation to Hangzhou's Global Digital Trade Expo

SINGAPORE – An Indonesian business delegation of 31 people attended the fifth Global Digital Trade Expo (GDTE) at the Hangzhou Grand Convention and Exhibition Center in China from 23 to 26 September 2026. Facilitated by the DTI Conference & Expo (DTICX), the delegation brought together 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, among them Sanct Social, the social app for close friends and family.

GDTE is Hangzhou's annual digital trade fair, in the home city of several of China's largest technology companies. The fifth edition opened on 24 September 2026 and brought together technology companies from many countries, with AI, smart glasses, cloud services and cross-border trade the themes most visible on the exhibition floor.

Forum, opening and DICE

The week opened with the Industry Conference on AI and Green and Low-Carbon Technology, where the head of Jakarta Smart City spoke on zero-carbon regional development. On 24 September 2026, Jakarta Smart City and the chairman of IDPRO attended the GDTE opening ceremony, while the rest of the delegation toured the exhibition halls and began business matching.

The same afternoon, KOMDIGI's Director of Digital Infrastructure Services delivered the opening remarks at the Global Digital Innovation Dialogue for Events (DICE), held with the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) at the InterContinental Hangzhou under the theme ELEVATE. In the evening the delegation attended the Night of Digital Trade, the expo's gala, under the flags of the participating countries.

Two days of business matching

The second and third days were given to business matching and one-on-one meetings between delegation members and Chinese technology companies, among them makers of smart glasses, developers of AI models, makers of AI accelerator cards and cloud service providers. Each company in the delegation had its own table and its own schedule of meetings.

Sanct Social 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," said Mr Sion Abednego, founder of Sanct Social. "One of the conversations is moving forward, and we may be back next year to see the prototype."

Closing, and a night on the river

The third day ended with the GDTE closing ceremony, followed by the delegation dinner on a boat on the river that runs through Hangzhou, the towers on both banks lit up as one giant screen. The visit coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival on 25 September 2026.

About Sanct Social

Sanct Social is a social app for close friends and family, available for iPhone on the App Store in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. More at https://sanct.social