NANNING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, now underway in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has unveiled a first-of-its-kind AI marketplace, a move aimed at boosting digital economy cooperation by connecting Chinese AI solutions with ASEAN needs.
This year's expo, held from Sept. 17 to 21, is breaking new ground in its AI section with both a main venue and a sub-venue, each offering a distinct focus, according to event organizers.
The main venue showcases cutting-edge technologies such as large language models and AI chips, while the sub-venue features more than 400 products from 60 companies tailored to the ASEAN market, including AI glasses, smart robots, and rehabilitation and nursing-care devices. Both visitors and buyers can try out these products on site and place orders directly.
In the sub-venue, Chinese companies such as Huawei, iFlytek and Unitree Robotics are showcasing the latest advances in embodied intelligence, large-model applications and urban governance. Organizations from ASEAN countries including Thailand and Indonesia are also presenting their homegrown AI technologies on the same stage.
The AI section's sub-venue will remain open year-round after the expo closes, offering Chinese AI consumer products all year and helping turn "expo hits" into a steady push for them to go global.
"We are not chasing the most advanced technology or the most complete product lineup," said Lu Xinning, vice chairperson of the regional government of Guangxi. "What we are striving for is the best fit with ASEAN and the most solid on-the-ground results."
The expo also debuts an exhibition area gathering projects and application needs from ASEAN countries in fields such as transportation, smart logistics, AI, urban management and industrial park development. In addition, the financial exhibition area adds a 10,000-square-meter zone dedicated to "AI Plus Finance."
With AI as a bridge, the expo is building a "super interface" for China-ASEAN digital economy cooperation. The push comes as China and ASEAN work to accelerate the implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade Protocol, signed in October 2025 and covering areas such as the digital economy and green development.
Economic ties between China and ASEAN have continued to deepen. Bilateral trade topped 1 trillion U.S. dollars for the first time in 2025, totaling 1.05 trillion dollars, up 7.4 percent year on year. In the first seven months of 2026, trade between the two sides reached 744.41 billion dollars, an increase of 24.7 percent year on year and accounting for 21.8 percent of China's total foreign trade.
China has remained ASEAN's largest trading partner for 17 consecutive years, while ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for six successive years. ■
