2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum Drives China-ASEAN Industrial Cooperation

The 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum was held on June 12 in Singapore, drawing nearly 200 participants from political, business, and academic sectors both in China and abroad.

Themed “Connectivity for Shared Success: Trends and Visions for Chinese Industries Expanding into Southeast Asia,” the forum gathered Chinese and international guests in Singapore to explore new opportunities for Chinese industries expanding into the region, and to promote coordinated regional economic development.

The smooth development of ASEAN-China relations is largely due to ASEAN’s effective functioning as a regional organization, said Kishore Mahbubani, a Distinguished Fellow of the Asia Research Institute at NUS and a Former Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, in his keynote speech. He noted regional cooperation requires working with all neighbors.

China’s direct investment in ASEAN has doubled since the pandemic, and ASEAN has also become an important source of foreign investment for China. However, China’s investment in ASEAN still accounts for less than 10%, indicating significant growth potential, according to He Dong, Chief Economist at the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO).

Guan Xin, Vice President of Changan Auto Southeast Asia Co., Ltd., shared in his keynote address that in May 2025, Changan’s first overseas new energy vehicle manufacturing base officially began operations in Rayong, Thailand. Changan has also established over 190 stores and partnered with more than 200 suppliers across Southeast Asia, creating over 300,000 jobs along the industrial chain and employing more than 1,100 staff, 87% of whom are local employees.

During the forum, China Securities released the report “A New Era of Industrial Revolution and Regional Integration: Southeast Asia Investment Report 2025,” highlighting that there is broad room for cooperation between China and ASEAN in areas such as digitalization, manufacturing, and services, with Singapore and Chongqing serving as representative models of this partnership.

At the forum, representatives from MINISO, Tencent, Ant International, Malaysian Investment Development Authority, the Asian Development Bank, and the Singapore Exchange shared firsthand insights on going global. In roundtable sessions, they highlighted how AI is reshaping cross-border e-commerce, how Chinese cultural exports are gaining traction in ASEAN markets, and how financial services are strengthening China-Singapore connectivity and regional expansion.