China as the significant AI powerhouse in Asia

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the most prominent technology in today's digital era. Its applications have literally transformed every aspect of human daily life. From a global perspective, the development of powerful AI technology is a landmark sign to showcase a nation’s technological influence, power and strength. From a common perspective, modern AI technologies are simply too useful in making our lives more convenient. For example, the introduction of a generative AI model known as ChatGPT by OpenAI has revolutionized the human-AI interaction in addressing human’s daily challenges. The AI chatbot has simplified the human quest for answers via the implementation of sophisticated Natural Language Processing (NLP) technology. Since its launch in 2022, ChatGPT has swiftly captured the attention of the global population; and has more than 180 million users.

China and India are two major technology powerhouses in Asia. In 2017, China has unveiled the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan as a blueprint for a complete ecosystem for the nation to achieve the ambitious goal of becoming the world's leading AI center by 2030. Besides, numerous Chinese cities have introduced their own AI initiative to create AI hubs. To date, China is the home to some of the world’s biggest and most valuable technology titans such as Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance, Tencent, and Xiaomi. These tech giants have developed some of the most widely used digital applications in social media, e-commerce and retail. One notable example is TikTok, a famous video creation and sharing apps which created an instant popular hit among the global youth population upon its launch. Accordingly, its huge popularity leverages the app's easy-to-use editing functions and its viral content.

AI development in ASEAN

Southeast Asia has experienced rapid digitalization after the COVID-19 pandemic. ASEAN countries have emphasized the development of AI to different degrees and sectors. For example, Singapore has rolled out an ambitious AI Investment Plan that involves more than $1 billion in AI technology development over the next five years, Vietnam has adopted AI technology to strengthen tax compliance, Thailand leverages AI technology to address its traffic issue while Indonesia utilizes AI technology in health and agriculture. Despite the robust AI deployment, AI adoption at ASEAN remains at an early stage. A sustainable young AI talent pool management, support for a formidable digital literacy rate and digital skill upskilling initiative among ASEAN young population remain several important issues to be dealt with. Therefore, international collaboration plays a critical role to overcome these challenges and then harness this transformative technology successfully.

In the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Science, Technology and Innovation (AMMSTI) held in June 2024, several landmark notes were achieved. Among them, the meeting has recognized the significant transformative potentials of AI as one of the important drivers of technological advancement and innovation., echoed the significance of promoting a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and collaboration among ASEAN members in harnessing the potential of emerging technologies that include AI in addressing the common challenges and opportunities in different areas such as healthcare, education, information, etc, as well as commits to fostering collaboration and partnership among ASEAN member states, and Dialogue Partners to share knowledge, expertise and resources and to promote collaborative research and innovation in AI and related fields.

Scientific cooperation between China and ASEAN

China is playing an increasingly critical role in the ASEAN bloc. The country is now a full Dialogue Member of ASEAN and intensive cooperation mechanisms in economy, culture and science between China and ASEAN countries are functioning smoothly. Currently, there are five parallel frameworks for dialogues between China and ASEAN, which include the China-ASEAN Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological (S&T) Cooperation. Some meaningful existing S&T collaboration initiatives include the 11th Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation 2023, which was held in Nanning, China to deepen regional cooperation in science, technology and innovation. The Artificial Intelligence Development and Cooperation Initiative towards ASEAN and the Work Plan for China-ASEAN Exchange and Cooperation on Science Popularization were released at the conference. The conference also featured the 5th 10+3 Young Scientist Forum and the maiden Forum on China-ASEAN Artificial Intelligence Cooperation.

Joint cultivation of young AI talent is a critical scope of China-ASEAN collaboration. The 10+3 Young Scientist Forum presents an essential platform to advocate mutual scientific collaboration among young scientists from ASEAN countries, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Besides, China’s Ministry of Science and Technology has strengthened the collaboration via the Talented Young Scientist Program and other nation-specific joint collaboration initiatives. The Talented Young Scientist Program has supported 145 researchers from ASEAN countries to be involved in yearlong scientific research in China. Meanwhile, more than ten joint R&D platforms have been established such as the China-Indonesia Joint Laboratory of Biotechnology and the Laos-China Joint Laboratory for Renewable Energy Utilization and Development with the aim of promoting technology transfer in the ASEAN region.

China-ASEAN youth exchange

In August 2024, the China-ASEAN Youth Exchange Camp was officiated at Xiamen University’s Science and Technology Centre. The program has seen the arrival of 24 youths from ASEAN countries in China to promote mutual understanding, visit digital corporations and hold collaborative discussions. The event fosters close interaction among the youths from this region and solidify the foundation for long-term academic partnership through other Chinese initiatives such as the China CSC Scholarships that offers a pathway for overseas students to come and study in Chinese prestigious universities. However, many youth exchange programs are mainly introduced to enhance cultural interaction and understanding with the host country. To date, there is a lack of well-coordinated S&T-focused exchange programs that can encourage direct technology transfer between China and ASEAN though.

A closer example of an AI-related exchange event organized by China is the 2024 Future Close-Up, which was launched in Beijing on June 14. The exchange welcomes the youth participants from 21 countries that includes China, the United States, Russia, Germany, Thailand and etc. The program has visited China’s AI hubs in Shenyang and Xiong’an. For instance, China is the third largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into ASEAN nations with an astonishing FDI of US$18.65 billion. Furthermore, China has established more than 6,500 directly invested companies in ASEAN, employing more than 660,000 foreign employees throughout the years. In total, the cumulative two-way investment between China and ASEAN countries have exceeded US$380 billion as of 2022. Intuitively, a similar youth exchange program can be developed for ASEAN youths to contribute to a win-win situation between China and the ASEAN bloc.

In 2022, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was officially launched. The partnership aims to broaden the engagement between ASEAN and other Asia-Pacific partners (Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand) to enhance economic development and strengthen the trade linkage. Several important coverages of RCEP includes the economic and technical cooperation and intellectual property. By leveraging on the flourishing economic partnerships and bilateral cultural activities, a dedicated China-ASEAN youth exchange in the area of AI will be beneficial in sustaining the digital economy that has thrived under the RCEP. As such, the mentioned youth exchange shall contribute to the following aspects:

?Accelerating AI knowledge sharing and transfer: ASEAN Member States have demonstrated obvious disparities in their preparedness for AI technology. While developed states such as Singapore are well-poised to embrace the latest AI adoption, other developing countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam are eagerly formulating their AI development plans. Therefore, directions and strategic references are precious. Youth exchange initiatives from China will help in widening the horizon of ASEAN youths, especially those from developing countries from an academic perspective. Through digital corporate visits and university lectures, the youth is exposed to the latest updates in AI technological development while narrowing the gaps between youth from different ASEAN countries.

Promoting continuous AI and digital literacy enhancement: Rapid AI development has propelled automation. To adapt to the new digital trend, the importance of AI and digital literacy, especially among the youth, has been iteratively highlighted. Specifically, good digital literacy shall reflect the youth’s capability to perform data analysis, demonstrate a critical understanding of the machine learning operations and some degrees of technical programming skills. Meanwhile, AI literacy refers to the need of an individual to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to engage with AI systems. AI and digital literacy enhancement efforts via educational activities during the youth exchange can foster a vibrant bilateral learning culture. As a result, a higher digital literacy rate among the youth will help prepare ASEAN for better AI readiness.

AI skills upskill and reskill training for better employment: As the arrival of AI has revolutionized the traditional employment landscape, technical skills have become a deciding factor in securing good employment regardless of industry sector. Thus, AI skills upskill and reskill training are vital to ensure the youth is fully prepared to meet the market needs and fulfill the job responsibilities. While there are lots of upskill and reskill training available, many are subscription-based training which might not be accessible to youth. In recognition of this situation, government initiatives play a critical role in supporting the youth's educational enrichment. Specifically, AI training during the youth exchange by AI experts in China will provide a useful channel for ASEAN youths to upgrade their technical proficiency.

Youth awareness of AI governance and ethics

During the AMMSTI 2024 ministerial meeting, several notes on AI governance and ethics have been emphasized. The Meeting has commended the launch of the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics. The guide is utilized as a foundational document to guide the effective governance of AI in the region and balance the economic benefits of the rapidly advancing AI technology and its associated risks. By including the use cases for trustworthy AI, the guide will serve as a practical and actionable tool to facilitate the design, development and responsible deployment of AI technologies in the region. Besides, the Meeting has established a Working Group under the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials’ Meeting (ADGSOM) on AI Governance, which is aimed at addressing pertinent issues concerning AI governance, including the governance of generative AI and fostering safe, responsible and ethical use of AI.

As such, awareness of global AI governance and ethics has caught the attention of policymakers after witnessing the rapid development pace of AI, especially generative AI, which has exhibited a transformative impact on human daily lives. Advanced countries like China have adopted AI technology early and thus, have greater experiences in addressing more comprehensive AI governance and ethics. For example, several Chinese bureaucratic bodies such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) have introduced national-level policy documents that target AI or algorithms for regulation or governance. Similar AI governance and ethical awareness promotion among the youth is essential for ASEAN countries to position AI within the ASEAN’s Digital Integration Frameworks.

Increased youth participation support on AI governance framework formulation can effectively promote the youth’s recognition, motivation and knowledge in this area. Currently, some initiatives have been carried out in the Council of Europe, such as the Declaration on Youth Participation in AI Governance. However, there is no similar youth exchange on AI governance and ethics being implemented between China and ASEAN so far. Sharing of AL governance and ethics policy know-how with the ASEAN youth will definitely create a safer AI culture that is friendly to the future digital economy and societal development. In addition, seminars and educational activities on AI governance and ethics can be included during the China-ASEAN youth exchange program. This will encourage the empowerment of youth to engage in identifying and developing solutions based on AI technologies that can further improve their quality of life and sense of responsibility.

Conclusion

Retrospectively, China and ASEAN have shared long historical and cultural interactions. Collaborations are further strengthened through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Hence, there are still a lot of room and opportunities to create closer S&T collaborative synergy between youths in China and ASEAN. In addition to the academic and cultural visits, China-ASEAN youth exchange can create a platform for the youths to exchange their ideas, knowledge and skills with financial and educational support from the governments.

Gan Hongseng is an Associate Professor at the School of AI and Advanced Computing, Xi’an Jiaotong – Liverpool University, Taicang, China; PhD and Master Supervisor.

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