Li: Deepen digital ties in ASEAN economies

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday called for deeper cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the digital economy, which would help to create stronger momentum for the economic and social development of the region.

Li made the remark in a congratulatory letter to the online opening ceremony of the 2020 China-ASEAN Year of Digital Economy Cooperation.

China and ASEAN are friendly neighbors and important partners for each other, Li said in the letter, adding that both sides can pounce at the opportunities of the new round of scientific and technological revolution to fully display their complementary advantages.

Li said in the letter that they should focus on win-win cooperation and cultivate more partnerships in industries such as smart cities, artificial intelligence and big data. Expanding cooperation will inject new vitality into the realization of lasting stability and prosperity in the region.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a congratulatory letter to the opening ceremony that as each other's leading economic, trade and investment partners, ASEAN and China enjoy enormous potential for digital economic cooperation.

The move to advance digital cooperation came after China's trade with ASEAN surged 4.2 percent year-on-year to 1.7 trillion yuan ($240 billion) in the first five months of this year. The increase has helped the bloc replace the European Union as China's largest trading partner this year, according to Customs data.

Miao Wei, minister of industry and information technology, said China is willing to share with ASEAN its experience in leveraging digital technologies to revive economic activities while containing the COVID-19 outbreak.

"A sound digital infrastructure can help ensure an immediate supply of medical goods amid health emergencies. More efforts can be made to deepen China and ASEAN's cooperation in digital infrastructure such as 5G, the internet of things and artificial intelligence," Miao said.

Lim Jock Hoi, secretary-general of ASEAN, said, "As one of the global leaders in digital transformation, China offers tremendous inspiration. The success stories of China in financial technology, e-commerce, 5G deployment, smart cities and cybersecurity continue to inspire countries all over the world, as well as ASEAN.

"Given its high expertise in developing digital infrastructure and enabling a regulatory framework for the digital economy, China is indeed a valuable partner for ASEAN in promoting the digital economy in the region."

The digital economy in ASEAN nations is now expected to reach an average 8.5 percent of GDP in 2025, up from 1.3 percent in 2015. Meanwhile, in China, the size of the digital economy has surged from 15 percent of GDP in 2008 to 33 percent in 2019, and is estimated to reach 50 percent of GDP in 2025, the World Bank projects.

Given such potential, Chinese companies have been moving rapidly to team up with their counterparts in ASEAN for growth. Internet heavyweights including Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu have all invested in tech startups in ASEAN countries.

Artificial intelligence pioneer SenseTime is also partnering with Malaysian tech company G3 Global Berhad and China Harbour Engineering Co to build Malaysia's first AI industrial park.

Tang Xiao'ou, the founder of SenseTime, said the company looks forward to deepening cooperation with the Malaysian government, academia and business sectors to bring its technology and experience to Malaysia and help build a better world with AI technology.