Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping industries across the board. Riding this wave, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, China’s gateway to cooperation with ASEAN, is accelerating the creation of a distinctive development pathway, acting as a crucial bridge: it takes AI innovations developed in China’s leading tech cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, turns them into practical solutions, and channels them into the vast ASEAN market.
In July this year, Guangxi issued a global call for participation in an “AI for All: China-ASEAN” competition, or “AI Super League.” In just a few months, 10,432 teams answered the call, spanning 31 provincial-level regions of China and 11 ASEAN countries. Netizens affectionately dubbed the competition “A-League.”
The A-League serves as a collaborative platform built by Guangxi for “AI+” enterprises, researchers and developers. With a focus on deep integration between AI and key industries, it aims to pool innovation resources, accelerate the commercialization of results, connect capital with projects, and foster emerging AI enterprises oriented toward the ASEAN market.
Guangxi is the only province-level region in China that both borders ASEAN by land and has maritime access. It enjoys clear advantages in platforms, digital connectivity, power and energy supply, ASEAN-oriented computing capacity, and a strong pool of ASEAN-language talent.
Open to participants from across China and ASEAN, the A-League especially encourages joint teams involving ASEAN partners and sets no entry barriers. At present, 20 sub-competitions are underway. Final rounds or roadshows have been completed in 18 tracks including automobiles, e-commerce, and healthcare, while the education track is preparing for its final. A total of 600 ASEAN teams are taking part across different tracks.
“Guangxi and ASEAN markets share many similar AI application scenarios, which makes them highly compatible,” said Qi Xiangdong, chairman of QAX, a leader in cybersecurity industry and a member of the A-League jury’s presidium. He noted that winners who replicate their solutions in Guangxi and ASEAN markets could achieve scalable and expansive commercial success.
Today, the A-League has evolved beyond a pure technology contest into a major stage for China-ASEAN digital cooperation. From its launch, the competition extended an open invitation to ASEAN and actively encouraged joint teams formed by Chinese and ASEAN enterprises.
After rounds of real-world e-commerce practice and roadshow presentations, a multinational team from Guangxi International Business Vocational College, won second prize in the collegiate category of the 2025 ASEAN-oriented “AI+ Cross-border E-commerce” Innovative Application Competition.
Stepping down from the podium, a team member form Indonesia was very excited. In preparation, he and his teammates repeatedly fine-tuned AI tools to make product selection, taste descriptions and visual presentation in cross-border livestream sales more “ASEAN-friendly,” eventually achieving a breakthrough that balanced creativity with practicality.
“It was an unforgettable collaboration,” the Indonesian student said. “I gained a deeper understanding of innovative AI applications in cross-border e-commerce, as well as a richer appreciation of cultural diversity. Through the A-League, I see great prospects for ASEAN-China cooperation, and a clear path for realizing my entrepreneurial dream.”
On Nov. 28, the Artificial Intelligence & Radio, Television and Audio-Visual Innovative Application Competition under the A-League reached its final. One standout product was an AI communication platform designed to overcome language barriers in the export of Chinese short dramas to ASEAN markets. With a simple interface switch, subtitles for more than 300 short dramas could be instantly converted into ASEAN languages.
The product was jointly developed by Guangxi Hualibo Culture Media Co., Ltd. and a Vietnamese company. “We have built a robust ASEAN-language corpus that enables one-click, real-time conversion of platform interfaces and subtitles,” said Zhao Jing, marketing manager of Guangxi Hualibo Culture Media Co., Ltd.
According to Zhao, the platform currently supports Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian, and has already been launched in Vietnam.
ASEAN is a region with highly diverse demand for AI applications. Wen Yonggang, an academician of the Academy of Engineering Singapore and a member of the A-League jury’s presidium, believes that Guangxi can precisely align with the needs of different countries, establish long-term cooperation mechanisms, and implement tailored solutions through specialized tracks, thus helping make ASEAN an important market for AI deployment and promoting coordinated regional digital economic development.
Recently, the China-ASEAN Countries Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation Center was officially approved by China’s National Development and Reform Commission and established in the Wuxiang New Area of Nanning, capital of Guangxi. It has become one of two national-level AI application cooperation centers prioritized by China, with 61 projects already underway.
An official with the Wuxiang New Area administration said that whether Chinese enterprises are “going global” or ASEAN enterprises are “coming in,” the center provides localized, close-at-hand services in business, legal affairs and resource matchmaking, significantly reducing the costs of cross-border operations.
Looking ahead, Guangxi will continue to advance the development model where core research and development comes from China’s first-tier cities, with Guangxi handling the implementation and market-ready integration, ultimately for deployment in ASEAN.
It will further accelerate the building of a highland for AI cooperation with ASEAN countries, and contribute to forging a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.
