China-ASEAN Expo opens with focus on CAFTA 3.0, AI, and Pinglu Canal

The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) opened on Thursday in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bringing new business opportunities under the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA) 3.0 framework into focus.

Running from September 17 to 21, the expo has attracted more than 3,400 companies from over 70 countries and regions.

The exhibition area covers about 170,000 square meters, with participating enterprises up 5.3% from the previous edition.

Timor-Leste is taking part for the first time as a full ASEAN member and co-host, bringing all 11 ASEAN member states together in Nanning.

AI and the newly opened Pinglu Canal are also key focuses of this year's expo, with dedicated exhibition areas showcasing their potential to drive regional cooperation.

The latest CGTN survey shows that 90.9% of global respondents believe the continued hosting of CAEXPO demonstrates China's commitment to high-standard opening up.

Meanwhile, 89.5% see the expo as an important platform for business exchanges, industrial matchmaking and sharing regional development opportunities.

China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 opens new areas for cooperation The expo comes as China and ASEAN begin implementing the upgraded CAFTA 3.0 framework, which aims to facilitate trade, strengthen supply chains and expand cooperation into emerging sectors.

Science and technology authorities and high-tech institutions from countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have sent delegations to the expo.

China has made significant advances in areas such as AI, electric vehicles and renewable energy, said Destarata Mustafa, counselor for political affairs at the Indonesian Embassy in Beijing.

"We hope to expand cooperation with China in these fields." More than 50 trade and investment promotion activities are being held during the expo, focusing on trade and investment facilitation, regional economic integration, and cross-border industrial and supply chain cooperation.

In the CGTN survey, 84.5% of respondents said deeper China-ASEAN free trade cooperation will inject greater momentum into openness, cooperation and stable growth in the global economy.

AI takes center stage at China-ASEAN Expo AI is taking a prominent role at this year's expo, with dedicated exhibition areas at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center and the newly established Nanning AI Compound.

The AI exhibition area at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center showcases AI products and technologies covering consumer applications, smart homes, intelligent terminals, robots and embodied intelligence, alongside AI technologies from ASEAN countries.