The Digital Silk Road and Its Role in Sustainable Development

China has sought to shift the center of gravity of the world economy from the West to the Asian continent with its focus and expand its sphere of influence in various economic, political, and geographical areas on an international scale. The Digital Silk Road project is designed as the foundation of China’s digital economy, in line with such goals, which can also have a great impact on the geopolitical situation of Iran. Digital Silk Road project uses technologies that are considered as the foundation of a digital economy. These technologies include communication infrastructure and information technologies. The participation or non-participation of countries in this plan can have a great impact on their development, reducing digital divide and improving local capacities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of the Digital Silk Road on sustainable development. Therefore, the plan is analyzed from the economic, political, social, and technological perspectives using the PEST method framework, and then its role in sustainable development is explained. Given Iran's strong presence in the project, it can be expected that its role in international policy and digital governance will increase and connect the country to the global value chain in terms of economic and technological aspects.