BEIJING, Sept. 22, 2025 -- A news report from CRI Online:

On September 18, the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo hosted a ceremony in Nanning, Guangxi, where, in all, 155 projects were finalized, including 94 industrial agreements, 44 initiatives applying AI across multiple sectors, and 17 international economic and trade deals.

This year's signing ceremony focused on the theme of "AI Taking Center Stage, Companies as Key Players." It emphasized creating an international hub for artificial intelligence cooperation with ASEAN, strengthening cross-regional and cross-border industrial and supply chains, and securing a series of landmark agreements.

Organizers said the 44 AI-related initiatives span the foundational, technological, and application layers of artificial intelligence, in areas including manufacturing, services, agriculture, and the cultural and tourism industries. These initiatives are expected to deepen China-ASEAN cooperation through AI.

The international economic and trade agreements signed this year involve six ASEAN countries: Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Indonesia. One example is the China-Laos AI Innovation Cooperation Center project, which will cover both construction and operation. The foreign-invested projects encompass integrated intelligent production of specialty agricultural products, biofuels, and paper processing.

Most notably, 45 projects were each valued at more than 1 billion yuan, spanning renewable energy, advanced equipment, metals processing, critical minerals, biomedicine, commercial space, low-altitude aviation and textiles. Among them were two projects worth over 10 billion yuan and three ranging from 5 billion yuan to 10 billion yuan.