The 22nd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) concluded in Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in south China. The five-day event, covering a total exhibition area of 160,000 square meters, spotlighted artificial intelligence (AI) as its central theme – boosting cooperation in a field that is rapidly transforming every walk of life.
In recent years, CAEXPO has promoted cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in emerging areas such as digital and green economies, fostering growth and advancing sustainable development across both sides. The upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement 3.0 pledges to deepen cooperation in these two areas as well as supply chain connectivity – three overarching drivers likely to shape the world's future.
Since the turn of the century, China has promised friendly relations with regional countries – a relationship based on "good neighborliness, security and prosperity" and non-conflict, non-confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation to safeguard regional stability and economic interests.
This neighborhood policy – guided by important principles such as amity, sincerity, mutual benefit, inclusivity and shared future – continues to form the bedrock of China's regional approach. In the middle of intensifying conflicts, it seeks to strengthen regional peace and economy by pursuing the Asian model of security and promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation.
ASEAN holds a prominent place in China's neighborhood diplomacy. Underpinned by strong political and economic relations, bilateral relationship has blossomed over the recent decades. CAEXPO itself is a symbol of economic, trade and investment cooperation, enhancing strategic consensus and political trust between China and Southeast Asian nations.
Data speaks for itself. China has been the bloc's largest trading partner for 16 consecutive years and the relationship has notched a new milestone with Beijing's imports and exports hitting the $694 billion mark in the first eight months of 2025. CAEXPO, among others, has been pivotal to this trajectory as bilateral trade increased more than sevenfold by 2024 since the inaugural expo in 2004.
This underscores that Beijing and Southeast Asian countries have common interest to protect regional peace and prosperity and jointly uphold multilateralism. Encouragingly, ASEAN leaders are demonstrating a commitment to multilateralism and calling for strengthening mutual trust, implementing strategic connectivity projects and enhancing people-to-people exchanges and cooperation across all areas – endorsing China's push to work together in securing a stable and sustainable region.
Given the latest edition drew high-level political and diplomatic participation and a tourism exhibition took place in Guilin, CAEXPO served as a platform for Beijing's neighborhood policy to bolster China-ASEAN ties, advance regional economic integration and further reinforce political trust, cultural exchanges and multilateral cooperation.
CAEXPO isn't just a marketplace for trade and investment deals or launchpad for new products and business partnerships; it's an avenue of dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations. Some 3,200 companies from 60 countries participated in the expo while the Belt and Road International Exhibition Area hosted 33 countries including Pakistan, South Korea and New Zealand.
With business and youth representatives of diverse cultures and nationalities gathering and interacting at a single place, it reflected China's ethos of openness and inclusivity and the expo's role in deepening understanding and furthering mutual learning. Beijing's visa-free policy, triggering a sharp rise in inbound travel from ASEAN, hasn't promoted just connectivity but also economic development.
China and ASEAN have deep, historical cultural and economic bonds. Unprecedented economic and security challenges are drawing them closer, fortifying their belief in cooperation, stability and shared responsibility for collective success.
CAEXPO – by holding several dozen sideline events and high-level forums such as on AI, blue, green and digital economies and roundtable dialogues – could carry this consensus forward, accelerating the implementation of building a community with a shared future.
Building a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centered ASEAN – one that is inclusive, respects political, social and cultural diversity and upholds multilateralism – anchors the regional organization's Community Vision 2045. To achieve this ambitious goal, it prioritizes embracing blue, green and digital economies, resolving disputes peacefully, maintaining stability in the region and developing robust economic partnerships.
*My article that first appeared in CGTN