Chinese AI firms ramp up expansion into ASEAN

The internationalization drive of Chinese artificial intelligence enterprises is accelerating across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as AI reshapes global economic development, officials and senior executives said on Saturday.

Artificial intelligence has become a central force driving the global wave of technological and industrial transformation, profoundly reshaping economic development models and the landscape of regional cooperation, said Fu Baozong, deputy director of the International Cooperation Center at the National Development and Reform Commission.

Earlier in August this year, China issued a guideline on deepening the implementation of the "AI Plus" initiative, which highlights the importance of strengthening global cooperation under "AI Plus", promoting the inclusive sharing of artificial intelligence, and advancing the development of a global AI governance system.

"Artificial intelligence is already a key engine of China-ASEAN cooperation, and its value will become even greater as the two sides work toward building a community with a shared future," said Liu Quan, deputy chief engineer of the China Center for Information Industry Development, at the "ASEAN AI+" Cooperation Forum, a parallel session of the 2025 GAI+ Conference held in Beijing.

An increasing number of Chinese high-tech and artificial intelligence enterprises are accelerating their global expansion, and ASEAN may well become the first destination for these enterprises going abroad, said Zhou Rui, deputy general manager of Zhongguancun (ZGC) Development Group.

"ASEAN is one of the most dynamic regions for global digital-economy growth. It not only offers vast market potential and demographic dividends, but also shows strong demand for digital-infrastructure upgrades and industrial digitization," Fu said.

Datuk Mahadhir Aziz, managing director of Johor Capital Group, said Chinese AI enterprises also demonstrate strong and diverse strengths as they enter the ASEAN market. "They deliver a wide range of AI-powered solutions across multiple sectors, including healthcare and medical services, building management, AI-driven energy systems, and chatbot applications for public-facing services."

"There is clearly strong complementarity between China and ASEAN, where China has the enterprises, solutions and technologies, and ASEAN is a diverse market for them," Aziz added.

During the forum, the ZGC AI Business International Service Hub (ASEAN) was officially launched, designed to integrate China's cutting-edge large-model technologies to deliver customized AI solutions for ASEAN enterprises.

Lu Jiang, general manager of ZGC International Holding, said the service hub is intended to tackle the information gaps and other hurdles that Chinese AI enterprises face when venturing overseas, helping companies identify target customers and markets, and providing end-to-end services for their global expansion.

"We hope Chinese AI enterprises can expand globally while keeping their path steady," said Li Yan, Party secretary and chairman of Zhongguancun Development Group.

Zhang Chenxu contributed to this story.