Five months ago, a plan to jointly build artificial intelligence entities was solemnly written in the resolution book of the sixth China ASEAN Digital Ministers' Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. On May 24, 2026, this blueprint became a reality in Beijing - the China ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation Center was officially unveiled. Vice Minister of Industry and Information Technology Ke Jixin and ASEAN Secretary General Gao Jinhong jointly pressed the start button, marking the official entry of bilateral cooperation from traditional trade exchanges to a new stage of intelligent economy driven by algorithms and computing power. This platform is not only for technology integration, but also for implementing the China ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Action Plan and building the digital economy as a new pillar of regional growth.

From Hanoi Consensus to Beijing Implementation

In January 2026, at the Digital Ministers' Meeting held in Hanoi, Vietnam, both sides passed the "2026 China ASEAN Digital Cooperation Plan", which specifies the establishment of an artificial intelligence industry innovation center within the year. The unveiling ceremony in Beijing this time is a timely fulfillment of the Hanoi Consensus. Ke Jixin pointed out in her speech that the center will serve as a multilateral cooperation platform, focusing on breaking through the bottleneck of industrial intelligence upgrading. Gao Jinhong stated that ASEAN is currently in a critical period of digital transformation and looks forward to sharing China's development experience in the field of artificial intelligence through this center to jointly address the challenges brought by technological changes.

Four pillars support the cooperation framework

The center is not a virtual entity, but focuses on four highly operable dimensions:

Technical joint research: Promote the implementation of new generation AI technologies such as big models in typical industrial scenarios, such as intelligent manufacturing and smart cities, and transform technological advantages into productivity.

Ecological Co construction: Establish a normalized industrial dialogue mechanism to promote investment and trade between China and ASEAN countries in the upstream and downstream of the AI industry chain, forming a close industrial ecosystem.

Rule co governance: In the global focus area of artificial intelligence governance, both parties will collaborate to carry out standardization work, develop governance tools, and strive to form a regional consensus governance framework.

Basic sharing: Committed to bridging the digital divide, by jointly building intelligent infrastructure and conducting talent training, ASEAN countries can more fairly enjoy the development dividends of the intelligent era.

Weaving the Digital Silk Road

The establishment of the China ASEAN AI Center is a key milestone in the concept of the "Digital Silk Road". It goes beyond simple technology transfer and aims to build a digital ecosystem network that covers policy communication, facility connectivity, and smooth trade. In the next five years, relying on the "China ASEAN Action Plan for Establishing Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Ecological Cooperation (2026-2030)", both sides will carry out deeper binding in the fields of digital infrastructure, open source ecology, and digital security. Experts attending the meeting believe that the establishment of this platform will inject strong "intelligent power" into the regional economic recovery in the post pandemic era.

This event was promoted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, with the participation of representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, relevant countries, enterprises, and financial institutions. Specific industrial cooperation projects were also discussed and coordinated on-site.Editor/Yang Meiling