AI steals the show at 22nd China-ASEAN Expo

An AI robot works alongside an intangible cultural heritage inheritor of Gongcheng oil tea to prepare the traditional beverage at Guilin's exhibition area during the "Charming Cities" exhibition of the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

Artificial intelligence took center stage at the recently concluded 22nd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, where more than half of the exhibits incorporated AI technologies or AI-enabled functions, injecting fresh momentum into building a China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

The expo featured 16 AI-themed events and, for the first time, a pavilion dedicated to AI. About 1,200 products were displayed at the AI pavilion, including 20 large language models, 60 intelligent robots, 230 digital service platforms and systems, and 520 AI terminal products. The pavilion recorded deals worth more than 140 million yuan ($19.66 million), according to the CAEXPO Secretariat.

One highlight came from Guilin's exhibition area at the "Charming Cities" exhibition, where an embodied AI robot named "Aibao" collaborated with an intangible cultural heritage inheritor to showcase Guangxi's traditional oil tea-making process. The robot, developed by Chinese company AI² Robotics, impressed audiences with its precise movements while wielding a tea mallet.

A visitor displays coffee latte art created by a robot at the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Qiusi)

The versatile robot also drew crowds at the AI pavilion, where it transformed into a service assistant, preparing coffee, ice cream and beverages. The entire process — from order placement to mixing and delivery — took just 90 seconds. It even demonstrated musical talent by playing drums.

Its capabilities are powered by AI² Robotics' independently developed GOVLA embodied large AI model, which allows robots to perform across tasks and environments. The technology is already applied in industries including automotive manufacturing, semiconductors and logistics.

Guilin's exhibition area at the "Charming Cities" exhibition of the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Yan Lizheng)

"Guangxi serves as a bridge between China and ASEAN, and AI² Robotics is leveraging this bridge to reach wider international markets," said Zhang Peng, partner and vice president of the company. He noted that Guangxi's strategic location, diverse application scenarios and strong manufacturing base provide a crucial springboard for the company to implement technologies and expand globally.

Another crowd-pleaser was an "air drum" created by Shenzhen Ganyin Technology Co. Users could strike drumsticks in mid-air to produce authentic drum sounds without any physical drum surfaces, using spatial positioning algorithms and intelligent recognition systems to detect their movements.

"Our goal is to make music learning more accessible," said Wu Shangyong, booth manager of the company. "Traditional drum kits are costly and bulky, while our 'air drum' only needs a small space and comes at an affordable price."

Visitors watch a robot perform music at the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 20, 2025. (Photo/Zhu Xiaoming)

At Maiyue Technology's booth, AI-powered glasses capable of translating 138 languages attracted strong interest. Equipped with billions of linguistic data entries, the glasses offer functions including multilingual translation, speech prompting and interaction with large AI models, with scripts displayed on a built-in micro-screen. The glasses boast a 90 percent recognition rate for languages from the 10 ASEAN countries.

"Thai merchants have already pre-ordered 1,000 pairs of our AI glasses for community-level government service," said Li Changqing, chairman of Maiyue Technology. "We hope more Guangxi enterprises can bring quality products to Southeast Asia."

Smart glasses on display at the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning, capital of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Sept. 19, 2025. (Xinhua/Zhou Tinglu)

China has become a global leader in applying AI to practical fields, especially in agriculture and industrial robotics, said Le Cong Nang, chairman of the Vietnam Entrepreneurs Forum, at the 2025 China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Nanning Conference. He led a delegation of 30 Vietnamese enterprises seeking partnerships with Chinese counterparts.

The expo also showcased green and low-carbon solutions. At the solid and hazardous waste utilization and disposal section, visitors explored digital innovations including railway scrap recycling, blockchain-enabled hazardous waste tracking and smart recycling.