Photo taken on Sept. 17, 2025 shows the China-ASEAN EXPO venue in Nanning.
Exhibitors from Southeast Asia expressed a desire for increased trade and investment with China as the 22nd China-ASEAN EXPO (CAEXPO) kicked off in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on Sept. 17.
A bustling atmosphere filled the booths inside the national pavilions of ASEAN countries.
Dewantoro Bimo Laksono receives an interview with South in Nanning on Sept. 17, 2025.
Dewantoro Bimo Laksono, Vice President of Marketing at Telin, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia responsible for managing and developing its business lines outside Indonesia, believes that their digital infrastructure can support the growth of AI in Asia and beyond.
With AI as the theme of CAEXPO this year, Bimo told South that their firm has built over 300,000 kilometers of submarine cable worldwide. Some of the cables also serve China. He mentioned the SJC project, a system of cables covering the Singapore-Japan route through Chinese waters. The firm is seeking opportunities for collaboration within China and ASEAN.
Siew Chin Sean receives an interview with South in Nanning on Sept. 17, 2025.
Siew Chin Sean, Factory Manager of JF Nutritech, a specialty lipids company based in Malaysia, told South reporter that he is in charge of refined palm olein, which uses a completely chemical-free extraction process to create their products. Due to the cold extraction environment, they can maintain high levels of vitamins and carotene.
Siew revealed that the firm aims to explore potential aquaculture partnerships in China at the EXPO to apply to aquaculture and farming.
Rien Samrith receives an interview with South in Nanning on Sept. 17, 2025.
The 81-year-old Rien Samrith, Manager of Investment and Legal Consulting at Canadia Integrated Group, has attended the CAEXPO for 22 years, except during the pandemic.
His firm, which expanded from Canadia Bank founded by Chinese-Cambodians in 1991, has been growing its business for 32 years across industries such as financial securities, construction and real estate, municipal infrastructure, industrial parks, education, and the media industry.
Using the Techo International Airport project as a prime example, Samrith demonstrated the close collaboration between China and Cambodia.
He detailed that the Royal Government of Cambodia, represented by the Secretariat of State for Civil Aviation, signed a joint venture agreement with Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation to form a joint venture company in 2019. The joint venture firm owns, designs, constructs, finances, operates, maintains, and manages the Techo International Airport.
Located 20 km from Phnom Penh city, the new airport is a greenfield 4F airport with a total area of 2,600 hectares and a capacity to transport 50 million passengers. The entire airport project will be developed in three phases, projected to be completed by 2030, according to Samrith. The first phase has been completed, and the airport began operations in early September.
Tung Ciny delivers a keynote speech at CAEXPO side event in Nanning on Sept. 17, 2025.
After a side event, Tung Ciny, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation of Cambodia, told South that he flew to Nanning from the new Techo International Airport. He noted that it presents a great opportunity for Cambodia to have a large world-class international airport.
"We will welcome new friends flying to Cambodia, bringing us more tourists. This creates opportunities for job creation and business growth. It's part of economic growth in Cambodia," he added.
Regarding CAEXPO, Tung Ciny highlighted the importance of its initiatives.
He delivered a keynote speech on new electric vehicles at the side event. "New green technologies, such as new energy vehicles, will boost energy transformation among ASEAN countries," he emphasized.
In light of agreements for a joint laboratory for research and technology transfer, he revealed that Cambodia has also requested the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to provide opportunities for learning about new energy technology and to send staff and students to study in China and facilitate technology transfer to Cambodia.
"We hope to open the new energy vehicle market in Cambodia and other ASEAN countries," he noted.
Reporter: Zhang Ruijun
Photo: Zhang Ruijun
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, James Campion, Shen He
