The Inaugural International Training Course on AI Application and Development Strategy & China–ASEAN AI Industry Matching Project

Against the backdrop of accelerated global advances in artificial intelligence and increasingly close international cooperation, the development-country technical training initiative organized by the Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology, and co-hosted by the China–BRICS AI Development and Cooperation Center — titled “Global Perspectives on AI Application and Development Strategy: International Training Program” — concluded successfully in Beijing on 31 October 2025. As a supporting partner for the event, the Asia-China Education and Culture Association (ACEC) leveraged its cross-border networks to organize ASEAN AI experts and scholars to participate, injecting fresh momentum into practical AI cooperation and technology exchange between China, ASEAN and other Belt & Road countries.

International training establishes an AI cooperation platform

The training program, which commenced on 17 October and ran for two weeks, convened 21 participants from seven countries: Brazil, Russia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan. Based on its long-standing engagement in Belt & Road cultural, educational and science-technology cooperation, ACEC organized a team of ASEAN AI experts—each with deep research foundations and practical experience—to join the program. Motivated by an interest in global AI trends and the practical needs of industrial digital transformation, these experts actively participated in learning and exchange activities and helped build a robust international cooperation network with peers from other countries.

During the training, experts and participants worked closely together, sharing national AI development practices and discussing application pain points and solutions through thematic seminars, group assignments and other formats. Several experts noted that the program provided Malaysia with an important gateway to global AI resources, facilitating the adoption of international best practices to accelerate the implementation of the country’s digital economy blueprint (MyDIGITAL).

In-depth site visits — a panoramic view of China’s AI industry ecosystem

To give participants a direct understanding of AI implementation pathways, the organizing committee arranged on-site learning visits to national AI laboratories, Beijing AI industry parks and representative companies. ACEC coordinated ASEAN experts’ visits to benchmark enterprises including Tencent, BOE Technology Group, TRS Information Technology, MetaX, Transn, Beijing Tashan Technology and RealAI, as well as industry parks such as Zhongguancun AI Science Park and Zhongguancun Shijingshan Park, enabling participants to observe the full AI lifecycle from R&D to applied scenarios.

At the Virtual Motion Display Center in the Zhongguancun Virtual Reality Industrial Park, experts experienced immersive technologies such as spatial positioning and motion capture, and conducted in-depth investigations into how virtual reality is integrated into industrial simulation and smart cultural-tourism applications. In corporate technology exhibition halls, participants engaged with company technical leads on topics including large AI model development, smart hardware innovation, and industry solution deployment, gaining a systematic understanding of China’s “AI + real economy” development pathway. Each visit was documented with visual materials, serving as valuable records of Sino-foreign technical exchange.

Systematic instruction builds a knowledge framework for AI development and governance

As the lead organizer, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology designed a curriculum around the theme of “international cooperation in artificial intelligence,” comprising three core modules: AI development and governance, industrial application and ecosystem collaboration, and standards & mutual recognition. The program brought together 16 distinguished instructors from 12 research institutes, universities and enterprises, representing authorities such as the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), Qiyuan Insight Think Tank (启元洞见智库), Renmin University of China, Zhejiang University, ZTE Corporation, SenseTime, and Huayuan Computing (华院计算).

The instructors combined research findings and industry practice to provide in-depth lectures on global AI development dynamics, governance framework construction, breakthroughs in large model technologies, and industrial digital transformation. By integrating theoretical exposition with case studies, the course enabled the Malaysian experts (and other participants) to systematically master frontier knowledge and practical methods in AI, deepening their understanding of China’s AI development experience and governance approaches.

Practical matchmaking cements a foundation for cross-border cooperation

To promote targeted supply-and-demand matching, the program organized an AI industry matchmaking session for BRICS countries, inviting participants to present their national priorities and cooperation needs, while facilitating dialogue with eight domestic representatives from government, industry, academia and research. Malaysian experts focused on topics such as intelligent upgrading of the halal industry and digital infrastructure development, and reached preliminary consensus with Chinese institutions on joint research, technology transfer, and talent cultivation.

As a concrete measure to advance South–South cooperation in AI and deepen BRICS science & technology collaboration, the training provided an efficient platform for technological innovation cooperation under the Belt & Road framework. The ASEAN expert team organized by ACEC not only enhanced professional capacities through the program but also established sustained cooperative links with counterparts and Chinese institutions, laying a solid foundation for subsequent pragmatic collaboration.

Looking ahead — planning for the 2026 international AI training program

The successful conclusion of the inaugural event further highlighted ACEC’s role as a bridge for cross-border AI cooperation. Building on the experience of this program, ACEC is actively planning to host AI international training activities in Shanghai and Suzhou in 2026 to broaden engagement among Belt & Road countries and deepen cooperation. Future programs will leverage the Yangtze River Delta’s strengths in AI industrial clusters, innovation resources and rich application scenarios, and—while retaining the proven “systematic curriculum + site visits + thematic seminars” model—will further refine course content, expand the range of host enterprises, and enhance matchmaking mechanisms to offer richer learning and practice opportunities for AI experts from Belt & Road countries, helping more nations share in the benefits of AI development.

We cordially invite AI experts, scholars and enterprises from all countries to follow upcoming updates and actively participate in China–ASEAN AI industry exchange activities. Let us work together to seize the opportunities of AI development, elevate Belt & Road AI cooperation to new heights, and jointly shape a smarter, more sustainable future.