NANNING, CHINA - Media OutReach Newswire - 19 September 2025 - On September 17, the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo and China-ASEAN Business and Investment Summit opened in Nanning, Guangxi. The theme of this year's expo and summit is "Digital Intelligence and Innovation empower Development – Leveraging ASEAN-China FTA 3.0 new opportunities for an even closer ASEAN-China community with a shared future," attended by Chinese and foreign leaders, government officials, ASEAN ambassadors to China, and other representatives.

This year marks the signing of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 Protocol and the China-ASEAN Year of People-to-People Exchanges. Through high-level dialogues such as the opening ceremony, leaders from China and ASEAN countries will focus on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and ASEAN, promoting high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and forging broader strategic consensus on cooperation, further enhancing political mutual trust and advancing the building of a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Significantly different from previous years, artificial intelligence (AI) takes center stage for the first time at this grand event, introducing three landmark innovations: the inaugural AI-themed pavilion, the debut of the "AI for Exhibitions" intelligent agent, and the first China-ASEAN Ministerial Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence.

The powerful "AI magnetic field" is drawing global attention. This year's event brings together over 3,200 enterprises from 60 countries, with Myanmar and Sri Lanka serving as the theme country and special partner, respectively. From exhibition halls to forums, from official agendas to business negotiations, "AI" has become the most frequently mentioned keyword at this expo and summit, signaling that China-ASEAN cooperation is entering a new "digital intelligence" era.