Chen Yunxian, vice governor of Guangdong province, addresses the 15th Forum on Internet Media of China on July 17, 2015. [Photo by Feng Yongbin /?chinadaily.com.cn]

The 15th Forum on Internet Media of China, themed "E-path to One Belt, One Road", could be a starting point to achieve online connectivity that helps boost the Belt and Road Initiative, said Chen Yunxian, vice governor of Guangdong province, on Friday.

The forum is an important and inspiring platform for China's Internet media to brainstorm on how to better communicate and cooperate in carrying out the Initiative, he added.

It is also a great opportunity for media in Guangdong to learn when it comes to online information development and cyberspace safety in the southern province, which could add up to Guangdong's recent efforts in the process.

Chen made the remarks when addressing the opening ceremony of the forum, a three-day event that started in Guangdong's Zhanjiang city on Thursday and co-organized by China Daily website and Zhanjiang municipal government.

More than 300 guests are at the event, including leaders of key Internet websites, at both national and regional levels, major players in investment institutions and the Internet sector, experts on the Belt and Road Initiative, industry representatives and city officials.

Zhanjiang was a starting point of one of ancient China's earliest maritime trading routes, during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220). It is now one of the 15 pivotal cities in the Belt and Road Initiative -- a reference to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiatives, transport infrastructure projects linking Asia and Europe, proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

That makes Guangdong province strategically irreplaceable in boosting the Belt and Road Initiative, especially in the age of economic globalization, Chen said.

Imports and exports of the province were valued at 6.61 trillion yuan ($1.07 trillion) last year, accounting for a quarter of the national total.