How China's AI is exploring new pathways into ASEAN markets

The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo opened Thursday in Nanning, capital of south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Under the theme "CAFTA 3.0 Opportunities, Better Life," the expo features the inaugural "AI Supermarket," where more than 500 AI products from over 70 companies are on display.

The products cover eight categories, including AI wearables, smart home devices, household robots, smart education, office applications, entertainment and security. Visitors can try AI glasses, wearable devices, rehabilitation robots and digital human services. A cross-border live streaming area also demonstrates multilingual digital human hosts.

The AI showcase points to a shift in how Chinese companies approach overseas markets. Rather than focusing mainly on technological performance, companies are putting greater emphasis on practical applications and local needs.

For the first time, the expo has also set up an ASEAN demand exhibition area, collecting project and application needs in areas such as transport, smart logistics, AI applications, urban management and industrial parks. The needs will be matched with Chinese companies through an intelligent matchmaking system, helping turn market demand into potential projects.

The change reflects a move from a supply-driven approach to a demand-driven one. Instead of simply asking what products they can sell, Chinese companies are increasingly looking at what problems local customers need to solve. The expo has described the approach as a shift from "what we can do" to "what ASEAN needs," with a "challenge-based" mechanism designed to match demand with supply.

AI governance is also becoming a new area of China-ASEAN cooperation. The first China-ASEAN Ministerial Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence was held in Nanning in 2025, while a China-ASEAN AI application cooperation center was launched to support cooperation in areas including AI infrastructure, open-source platforms and talent development.

The 2026 roundtable, held alongside this year's expo, focuses on AI governance, with discussions covering AI safety and ethics, regional coordination, regulation, risk prevention and industrial cooperation. The talks are expected to explore ways to strengthen regional cooperation on AI governance and applications.

For Chinese AI companies seeking to enter ASEAN markets, technology is therefore only part of the equation. Understanding local demand, adapting products to specific scenarios and building regional cooperation are becoming increasingly important.