China and ASEAN Launch AI-Driven Trade at 23rd Expo

The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo and the China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened on September 17, 2026, in Nanning, China. Ding Xuexiang, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, delivered the opening address, proposing four initiatives to enhance the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 Upgrade Protocol: improving regional opening up, upgrading trade and investment, deepening digital and green economy collaboration, and increasing infrastructure connectivity.

The event featured over 3,400 companies from more than 70 countries, with Timor-Leste participating as a co-host and full ASEAN member for the first time. A central theme was the transition of artificial intelligence from conceptual displays to practical sales drivers. The expo debuted the Nanning AI Compound, a 10,000-square-meter hub for 150 AI firms, and showcased 31 practical AI projects across all 11 ASEAN member states. These applications include agricultural pest tracking in Laos and Cambodia, disease detection in Vietnam, and remote solar monitoring in Malaysia.

ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn expressed optimism about the collaboration but emphasized the need for standardized cross-border data protocols to prevent an intelligence divide among smaller economies. Trade between the two parties reached 1.05 trillion U.S. dollars in 2025, a growth supported by new infrastructure like the Pinglu Canal, which reduces transport distances between Southwest China and ASEAN by 560 kilometers.