new economy

　　

During the third session of the 14th National People's Congress, the Guangxi delegation submitted the Proposal on Supporting Guangxi in establishing the China-Asean Artificial Intelligence Innovation Cooperation Center. In the era of artificial intelligence, Guangxi has given play to its unique advantages to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN countries in the field of digital economy. In February this year, Guangxi and Laos signed a contract to jointly build the China-Laos Artificial Intelligence Innovation Cooperation Center. This is the first artificial intelligence cooperation innovation platform signed between China and ASEAN countries.

In recent years, bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the digital field between China and ASEAN countries has flourished, and all parties have shared the "digital dividend" and worked together to build a "digital future", injecting more new momentum into regional economic and social development.

Jointly build digital ecology

"At present, China has signed memorandums of understanding with a number of ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, on strengthening investment cooperation in the field of digital economy."

In Pingxiang City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China's first cross-border smart port China-Vietnam Friendship Pass - Friendship Smart port project recently entered the completion of commissioning. After the port is officially put into operation, it will be based on satellite navigation and 5G technology, use unmanned transport vehicles and automated lifting equipment, configure intelligent inspection systems, and realize 24-hour uninterrupted unmanned intelligent customs clearance with the help of intelligent command and dispatch platforms. As the largest land port from China to ASEAN countries, Friendship Pass has added "digital" wings, which will further improve customs clearance efficiency and effectively serve the stable development of the China-Asean industrial chain and supply chain.

The friendship port with a "full" sense of science and technology is a vivid epitome of the high-quality development in various fields enabled by the "digital engine" of China and ASEAN. Today, digital cooperation has become a highlight in the bilateral and multilateral cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

In terms of infrastructure, China has built cross-border land optical cable systems between China and Vietnam, China and Laos, and China and Myanmar, and achieved network connectivity with more than 10 ASEAN operating enterprises. A number of Chinese enterprises have actively participated in the development of digital infrastructure in the ASEAN region, working with Thailand to promote the development of 5G digital infrastructure, carrying out national network projects with Indonesia, building a national data center in Malaysia, and cooperating with the Philippines to promote fiber to the home, which has accelerated the process of digital universal service in ASEAN countries.

Data show that in recent years, the cross-border e-commerce transaction volume between China and ASEAN has grown at an average annual rate of more than 20%, becoming an important driving force for the growth of bilateral trade. At the same time, mobile payments between China and ASEAN countries are becoming more and more popular. In 2024, PayNet Malaysia announced a partnership with wechat Pay, enabling more than 2 million Malaysian shops to support wechat Pay.

At present, China has signed memorandums of understanding with several ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, on strengthening investment cooperation in the field of digital economy. Version 3.0 of the China-Asean Free Trade Area also includes a special chapter on the digital economy for the first time, making plans for bilateral digital economic cooperation. In October 2024, at the 27th ASEAN-China Summit, the Joint Statement on Promoting the Establishment of Sustainable and Inclusive Digital Ecology Cooperation was issued, making it clear that the joint construction of digital ecology is the focus of cooperation in the next stage.

Solid foundation for cooperation

"China has advantages in technology, talent and experience in developing the digital economy, and ASEAN countries have strong demand and broad market, which makes the 'two-way travel' accelerating."

In recent years, many ASEAN countries have increased capital investment, formulated relevant plans, and actively promoted the development of digital technology and digital economy. For example, Indonesia issued the White Paper on Digital Economy Development in 2030, which calls for the development of digital finance and e-commerce. Vietnam has released a national action plan on digital economy development for 2024-2025, proposing that the digital economy will account for 20.5% of GDP by 2025. The Thai government is pushing the "Cloud First" initiative, which aims to promote the country's digital transformation and support the construction of cloud computing and big data centers.

According to the "ASEAN Digital Economy Report 2024" jointly released by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company, the total value of digital economy merchandise transactions in ASEAN countries is expected to be $263 billion in 2024, an increase of 15% year-on-year. Malaysia, as the ASEAN Chair in 2025, has stated that it aims to complete the negotiations on the ASEAN Framework Agreement on the Digital Economy (DEFA) by 2025, paving the way for regional digital technology integration, and building ASEAN into the world's leading digital economy as soon as possible. Asean's digital economy could grow to $2 trillion.

Against this backdrop, many ASEAN countries look forward to digital cooperation with China. Basser, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Economy and Society of Thailand, said that China has made great achievements in the development of digital economy, and its advanced experience in infrastructure construction, 5G and artificial intelligence is conducive to empowering ASEAN's digital transformation.

"There is a solid foundation for China-Asean digital cooperation." Xu Liping, a researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific and Global Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, pointed out in an interview with our reporter that first, the deepening of political mutual trust has laid a foundation of trust for all parties to carry out development strategy docking and technology transfer and technology cooperation; Second, there is a common need for development. Both China and ASEAN countries are developing countries and hope to achieve economic growth and improve people's livelihood through digital technology and digital economy empowerment. Third, regional integration has accelerated. Platforms such as the China-Asean "10+1" cooperation mechanism and the China-Asean Technology Transfer Center have led to vigorous digital cooperation. Fourth, complement each other's strengths. China has advantages in technology, talent and experience in the development of digital economy, and ASEAN countries have strong demand and broad market, which makes the "two-way rush" continue to accelerate.