On August 27, 2025, the 2025 ASEAN-Oriented Standardization Cooperation Forum (hereinafter referred to as the “Forum”) was held in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, focusing on AI standardization as a pathway to strengthen the China-ASEAN community. The Forum was co-organized by the China-ASEAN Standardization Cooperation and Exchange Center (ASCEC) and the ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ), including participation from United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), IEC, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN-China Centre. The attendee includes senior leadership from the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government, a Vice Minister of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), a Standing Committee member of the Guangxi Regional Party Committee, as well as diplomatic and ministerial representatives from ASEAN countries including the Ambassador of Brunei to China, Secretaries of State from Cambodia’s Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation and Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and a Vice Minister from Myanmar’s Ministry of Science and Technology.
The event yielded 19 concrete outcomes spanning government-to-government, technical, and industry-level cooperation. Key results include:
- The establishment of a China-Cambodia AI Standardization Working Group and a China-Laos Power Standards Committee;
- The issuance of the Nanning Initiative on Standards Supporting Sustainable AI Development and the China-ASEAN AI + Healthcare Standardization Cooperation Initiative;
- Five agreements between Chinese and Vietnamese, Laotian, Burmese, and Cambodian technical institutions covering metrology and inspection;
- The formation of three industry alliances focused on AI applications in agriculture, manufacturing, and metrics carbon peaking and neutrality;
- Joint research on two automotive standards, second-round exchange of electric vehicle standard lists and a plan for talent development in auto standardization.
Notably, the Forum was integrated into the China-ASEAN FTA 3.0 framework, signaling high-level political endorsement. In addition, the forum emphasized practical cooperation, featuring parallel sessions on automotive standards, metrology, and conformity assessment, as well as live demonstrations of AI applications in cross-border e-commerce, healthcare, and cultural tourism. AI-powered simultaneous interpretation and real-time bilingual subtitles were used throughout.
This event underscores China’s deepening standardization collaboration with ASEAN in emerging technologies, with Guangxi serving as a strategic node. The outcomes of the Forum indicate that foreign enterprises should note potential changes in market access rules: regional normative systems centered on Chinese technical standards are taking shape in key fields such as artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. This may reduce the applicability of existing international standards in Southeast Asian markets, increase compliance costs and supply chain adaptation pressures, while also creating opportunities to participate in standard-setting processes through engagement with industry alliances.
Original source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jHdJGFO-X4ug2UUOwJabQQ
