Stepping into the exhibition halls at the Nanning International Convention and Exhibition Center, visitors are greeted by a fascinating blend of contrasts. In the ASEAN country pavilions, the aromatic scents of Vietnamese coffee and Myanmar milk tea fill the air, while Thai fruits are displayed in abundance and shoppers bustle about. Nearby, in the artificial intelligence section, embodied intelligent robots interact with visitors, a queue forms at the tongue diagnosis device in the digital traditional Chinese medicine pavilion, and multilingual digital human anchors tirelessly promote products in e-commerce livestreams. The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo embodies the theme of "Embracing the 3.0 Era for a Shared Beautiful Life", where traditional goods and cutting-edge technology share the stage in perfect harmony.
The logic behind these traditional goods has transformed. Having hosted the expo for over two decades, items like durian, coffee, handicrafts, and construction machinery are familiar faces. But today, the participating industries have expanded from traditional sectors like agriculture and handicrafts to high-value-added fields such as digital communications, green environmental protection, and artificial intelligence. It's not just the exhibits that have changed. The first-ever "ASEAN Demand Exhibition Area" has been established, showcasing project requirements from ASEAN nations in areas like smart logistics, urban management, and AI applications.
The role of technology has also shifted. At last year's expo, AI was primarily a display under the spotlight—novel and exciting, yet somewhat distant from everyday life. This year, the expo has introduced its first "AI Consumer Superstore", bringing AI hardware and software directly to the audience. As one visitor aptly put it, "Last year, AI was a showroom; this year, AI is a marketplace."
The change is tangible. The AI Consumer Superstore features over 500 products on its shelves, ranging from AI smart glasses to rehabilitation nursing robots, from general practitioner workstations to digital vocal coach avatars. Many visitors experience the products and purchase them on the spot. The exhibition emphasizes a hands-on approach—"try it, buy it, take it home"—allowing visitors to truly appreciate the improved quality of life that technology brings.
"I'm looking for a pair of lightweight AI glasses," said a visitor from Guangxi as he tested a pair on-site. After a brief inquiry about charging methods and warranty duration, he promptly scanned a QR code to make his purchase. These glasses, discovered during his casual stroll through the expo, would help him deliver a speech without notes just a few days later. At the booth of Guangxi State-owned Capital Operation Group, an intelligent sugarcane harvesting robot attracted the attention of sugar industry professionals from Thailand. Traditional farming methods require an investment of over 400,000 yuan for machinery, but this robot achieves equivalent or even superior operational coverage at a price of just over 150,000 yuan. Each unit can harvest approximately 10 mu (about 1.5 acres) per day, equivalent to the work of 20 people. As the manufacturer put it, this isn't about showing off—it's a smart economic calculation that works for smallholder farmers and small-to-medium-sized farms alike.
When traditional goods meet cutting-edge technology, the real chemistry happens at the precise intersection of supply and demand. In the intelligent equipment exhibition area, comprehensive zero-carbon solutions and smart operation-and-maintenance technologies took center stage. China Datang Corporation showcased a series of mature solutions for building new power systems together with its upstream and downstream partners, drawing keen interest from countries such as Laos and Indonesia. Additionally, many ASEAN business visitors toured the exhibition to select and purchase AI and electric vehicle products, expressing a clear desire for deeper smart equipment cooperation with China. Such demand is being channeled through this year's expo via an "AI + Trade Matching" system. More than 8,000 matches have been pre-arranged, with nearly 2,000 scheduled for precise on-site pairing during the event. Exhibitors no longer need to search for partners blindly; the system helps filter and identify suitable collaborators, shifting both supply and demand from relying on luck to making data-driven decisions.
This year's expo coincides with a critical phase following the signing of the upgraded protocol for the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, now accelerating toward implementation. New opportunities in the digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity are injecting powerful momentum into regional cooperation. As night falls, not far from the main venue, 2,026 drones ascend in formation, illuminating the sky above the NA Community with patterns themed around China-ASEAN cooperation. The NA Community serves as the dedicated AI pavilion for this year's expo, focusing on the practical application of AI technology, particularly industry-specific solutions tailored for the ASEAN market.
Traditional goods serve as the ballast stone, while cutting-edge technology acts as the new engine. Together, they are painting a fresh vision of cooperation that starts here and extends toward a broader, shared market.