Sino-ASEAN ties seen as key to forging inclusive AI

ASEAN economies are seeking to cooperate to shape a future for artificial intelligence that is inclusive, skills-driven and ethically grounded, said industry experts at a major international forum recently.

That push for a stronger Global South voice in AI governance took center stage at the 2026 China-ASEAN AI Capacity-Building Training Program and High-Level Seminar on AI Frontier Technologies and Governance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where over 100 representatives, officials, and academics from China and ASEAN countries gathered to link technical cooperation with policy coordination.

Hou Zengguang, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Automation, said, "Through open cooperation, knowledge sharing, and joint capacity building, China and the ASEAN can make AI a genuine global public good that serves sustainable development worldwide."

Hou outlined a vision in which emerging economies play a more active role in both technological innovation and governance design. Drawing on China's experience, he said the country has accumulated strengths in research, technology development and industrial application in automation that can contribute to broader international progress.

"ASEAN member states can build the capacity needed to ensure AI remains inclusive and beneficial, particularly for developing economies seeking to upgrade their industries without being locked into external technological dependencies."

Across Asia, governments are accelerating the adoption of AI in manufacturing, transport, education and public services. But participants warned that without stronger domestic talent pools and governance frameworks, several countries could find themselves reliant on imported systems they have little role in shaping.

Aung Kyaw Myat, president of the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific, said that ASEAN, including Myanmar, stands at a critical juncture.

"If we do not act strategically, we risk becoming passive consumers of AI technologies developed elsewhere. Millions of workers face potential disruption, and without capacity building, the AI divide between nations and institutions will widen."

That sense of urgency is increasingly shared across emerging economies, where AI is viewed both as a tool to leapfrog stages of development and as a potential driver of new inequality if access to skills and infrastructure remains uneven.

Hou said closer China-ASEAN cooperation can help address those risks by pairing technological exchange with talent development and governance dialogue. Regional platforms, he said, can accelerate the move from pilot projects to scalable industrial deployment while ensuring that safety, standards and ethics keep pace with innovation.

International organizations are also seeking to anchor the AI boom in shared standards. Shahbaz Khan, director of the UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia, pointed to UNESCO's work on global AI ethics and education guidance as examples of efforts to keep human development at the center of technological change.

UNESCO, he said, sees cooperation among developing countries as essential, particularly on sensitive issues such as algorithmic bias, data protection and unequal access to computing power.

His remarks reflected a broader diplomatic current: emerging economies are increasingly coordinating not just on trade and infrastructure, but also on digital governance.

While high-level principles featured prominently, much of the forum's discussion focused on practical capacity building — from basic AI literacy to advanced research and industry partnerships.

"AI capacity building rests on four pillars: human resource development, infrastructure and data readiness, ethical governance, and research and innovation ecosystems," Aung Kyaw Myat said, stressing that countries must move "from using AI to building and innovating with AI."

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn