The 23rd China-ASEAN Expo kicked off on September 17th in Nanning, Guangxi, with the release of the "China-ASEAN Economic and Trade Cooperation Outlook Report 2026-2027". The report suggests that by 2027, bilateral cooperation will comprehensively expand from traditional trade and investment liberalization efforts to new frontiers, including the digital economy, green development, and mutual standards recognition.
As the China-ASEAN Digital Economy Partnership Agreement deepens, collaborative efforts in areas such as 5G communication networks, data center infrastructure, cloud computing services, and artificial intelligence applications are poised to grow steadily. The report indicates that cross-border financial services are set for critical expansion. ASEAN stands as one of the fastest-growing regions in global digital finance, with rising mobile payment adoption and emerging sectors like digital banking, insurtech, and cross-border payment systems flourishing. Chinese financial technology companies are expected to drive broader use of mobile payments, digital lending, and intelligent investment advisory services throughout the ASEAN market.
Furthermore, digital content services, including online literature, gaming, and digital music, are projected to become new engines for bilateral trade. The implementation of the green economy chapter under the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0 is expected to offer institutional support for expanding bilateral green commerce. The report anticipates sustained growth in Chinese exports of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products to ASEAN.
Exports of complete equipment systems, such as high-capacity wind turbines, high-efficiency solar panels, ultra-high-voltage transmission components, and large-scale energy storage systems, are expected to gain more streamlined market access. Additionally, environmental technologies like industrial wastewater treatment systems and air purification devices are emerging as fresh growth areas in bilateral industrial capital goods trade. On the green trade front, China and ASEAN plan to drive mutual recognition of technical standards and conformity assessment results in carbon footprint accounting, green manufacturing evaluation, and new energy vehicles and power batteries, significantly lowering costs from duplicated testing and certification requirements for green products.
The report was jointly compiled by the China-ASEAN Expo Secretariat and Guangxi University, aiming to help businesses discover emerging commercial opportunities within the region.