The 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum, held on 12 June in Singapore, brought together nearly 200 participants from political, business, and academic sectors to discuss the expansion of Chinese industries into Southeast Asia. Themed “Connectivity for Shared Success: Trends and Visions for Chinese Industries Expanding into Southeast Asia,” the forum aimed to promote coordinated regional economic development.
Kishore Mahbubani, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute at NUS, emphasised the importance of ASEAN’s effective functioning as a regional organisation in fostering smooth ASEAN-China relations. He Dong, Chief Economist at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, noted that whilst China’s direct investment in ASEAN has doubled since the pandemic, it still accounts for less than 10% of total investment, indicating significant growth potential.
Guan Xin, Vice President of Changan Auto Southeast Asia Co Ltd, highlighted the company’s recent achievements, including the launch of its first overseas new energy vehicle manufacturing base in Rayong, Thailand, and the creation of over 300,000 jobs across Southeast Asia. Changan has also established over 190 stores and partnered with more than 200 suppliers in the region.
China Securities released the “Southeast Asia Investment Report 2025” during the forum, identifying digitalisation, manufacturing, and services as key areas for China-ASEAN cooperation. Representatives from MINISO, Tencent, and the Singapore Exchange shared insights on global expansion, with discussions on AI’s impact on cross-border e-commerce and the strengthening of financial services between China and Singapore.
The forum underscored the potential for further collaboration between China and ASEAN, with Singapore and Chongqing serving as models of successful partnership.
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