23rd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning Sets Record with Over 360,000 Visits

The China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat announced that the 5-day 23rd China-ASEAN Expo, held recently in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, concluded successfully under the theme "Sharing Opportunities from the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, Jointly Creating a Better Life", highlighting artificial intelligence technology as its main attraction alongside advancing economic cooperation between China and ASEAN countries.

This year's event adopted a new format featuring a "main exhibition zone, thematic exhibition zones, and off-site exhibition zones", using the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center as the main venue, alongside Nan-A Community and the Guilin International Convention and Exhibition Center as sub-venues. With a total exhibition area of 170,000 square metres, it attracted 3,432 exhibitors from 73 countries and regions, up 5.3% from the previous year, and recorded more than 360,000 visits across the three venues, the highest number since the event's inception.

Success Figures and a New Co-host Partner

The event featured a total of 53 economic and trade activities alongside high-level forums across multiple sectors, enhancing the efficiency of business matchmaking and creating trade opportunities for participating enterprises. In addition, Timor-Leste joined as a co-host for the first time, expanding the event's co-hosting framework to "13 parties from 12 countries". The event also introduced the approach of "ASEAN poses the questions, China provides the solutions", releasing demand lists from each ASEAN member state to make business matchmaking more targeted.

AI Takes Centre Stage, Driving Tens of Thousands of Business Matches

The AI technology exhibition area at this year's event expanded by 60% compared with the previous edition, while the AI Marketplace zone recorded total transactions exceeding 28 million yuan. Meanwhile, the smart AI-enabled Expo system facilitated 8,000 pre-event business matches and a further 2,000 on-site business matches, reflecting that the expo is no longer merely a platform for showcasing products and technologies, but has become a venue for generating real business deals and long-term cooperation between the private sectors of both sides.

The event also achieved major outcomes across six areas:

• Building strategic consensus on the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 and driving tangible economic and trade outcomes
• Publishing academic reports, blue books, and economic and trade standards
• Launching large models for cross-border industrial sectors and establishing a China-ASEAN data cooperation expert committee under the World Data Organization
• Expanding cooperation in AI-driven financial innovation
• Promoting multi-sector cooperation through the Nanning Channel
• Establishing an industrial park alliance along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor

Schedule for the 24th Expo

For next year, the 24th China-ASEAN Expo is scheduled to take place from 17 to 21 September 2027, with Singapore serving as the theme country and Nanjing selected as China's City of Charm to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN.

This news is of interest to exhibition organisers and MICE organisers looking for opportunities to expand their business networks in the ASEAN region, as well as enterprises seeking cross-border trade partners and observers following long-term economic cooperation between China and ASEAN.