Ren Xianliang, secretary-general of the World Internet Conference (WIC), met with Zhu Lei, vice-president of social impact & government affairs of Starbucks China, in Beijing on April 29.

Noting that Starbucks China became a member of the WIC last year, Ren said the company is a global leader in coffee roasting and retail, and has been leading digital innovation in the coffee retail industry by pioneering practices such as digital supply chain management and smart store operations. The company also established the Beijing Starbucks Foundation, which has launched several public welfare projects focused on rural vitalization in coffee-growing villages, the preservation of intangible cultural heritage, rural women empowerment, employment of people with disabilities, community building, and disaster relief, according to Ren. He highlighted the broad potential for collaboration between Starbucks China and the WIC.

He further emphasized that the WIC welcomes Starbucks’ active participation in its activities and looks forward to extensive cooperation in such areas as the digital preservation of cultural heritage, in order to jointly building a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Zhu expressed her gratitude for the recognition and support from the WIC. She said that Starbucks China is accelerating the upgrade of its omni-channel, omni-scenario digital strategy while continuing to fulfill its corporate social responsibility through projects such as intangible cultural heritage preservation and empowering rural women. Starbucks is eager to deepen its involvement in the WIC’s initiatives and looks forward to strengthening cooperation in areas such as application and innovation of digital technology and cultural exchanges to support the development of the WIC, she said.