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Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation 2025 Opens in Nanning

BEIJING, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — A report from CRI Online:

On September 16, 2025, the Forum on China-ASEAN Technology Transfer and Collaborative Innovation 2025 began in Nanning, Guangxi. The gathering convened senior science and technology officials, prominent academicians, analysts, and corporate representatives from China and multiple ASEAN member states. Discussions centered on broadening the responsible deployment and fair access to artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, signaling a shared commitment to regional cooperation aimed at delivering practical improvements in public welfare.

On-site at the event (Photo provided by the organizer)
On-site at the event (Photo provided by the organizer)

During the forum, the Three-Year Work Plan for the China-ASEAN AI-Driven Sci-Tech Capacity Enhancement Initiative (2025–2027) was released. The event also featured the launch of several projects supporting the new China–ASEAN AI Innovation Cooperation Center. These include the establishment of the China–ASEAN Open-Source AI Alliance, a performance-based funding framework for large-scale industry AI model projects, and a new “AI+” application program between China and ASEAN member states. Additionally, a fund was set up to help translate scientific research into commercial applications, paired with the introduction of a regional “AI+” workforce training program. The forum concluded with the signing of nearly ten science and technology agreements between Chinese and ASEAN entities, spanning six ASEAN countries. The agreements cover technology transfer and joint platform development, with the goal of accelerating a more efficient distribution of innovation resources across the region.

This year’s forum prioritized key cooperative domains with a focus on AI and included a series of specialized sessions: the opening ceremony and main plenary, the 10+3 Young Scientists Forum, the 2025 China–ASEAN Conference on AI Cooperation, and a China–ASEAN Technology Matchmaking Session. Together, these events brought in expertise from across the region, encouraged exchanges of ideas, and gave added momentum to efforts to build a more integrated community with a shared future.

 

 

 

eSIM-enabled Device Shipments Will Exceed 633 Million in 2026, Driven by Chinese Smartphone Adoption and SGP.32 Advancements Across Consumer and IoT Markets

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The eSIM takeover of both consumer and IoT markets is continuing at a steady pace, with global technology intelligence firm ABI Research forecasting 403 million consumer devices and 140 million IoT eSIM-enabled devices to ship in 2025. These strong results follow a reversal in the overall smartphone market’s year-on-year growth, with declines in 2022 and 2023 giving way to a sharp rebound in 2024 and 2025. Accelerating eSIM adoption among smartphone manufacturers is a key contributor to the surge of eSIM-enabled device shipments.

“The continued dominance of smartphones, which constituted 66% of total eSIM-enabled device shipments in 2024 and 74% in 2025, explains the mitigated overall impact of a challenged IoT market,” says Research Analyst Georgia Cooke. “Delays to SGP.32 ratification have inhibited expected new IoT deployments, but with over 70% of smartphones still lacking eSIM support, the continued march towards full market penetration leaves smartphones standing as the largest eSIM growth area by volume through 2030.”

China will soon allow eSIM for domestic use in smartphones—beginning with a pilot scheme from China Unicom—unlocking the last remaining portion of the addressable smartphone market for eSIM penetration. The high shipment volumes in this market will drive the Asia-Pacific region to hold the highest growth rates for eSIM-enabled smartphones from 2025 to 2030, with a 22.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for this period. This compares to more modest rates of 6.2% and 9.8% in North America and Western Europe, respectively, where leadership in early adoption is settling into steadier expansion.

However, for vendors focused beyond IC and device shipments—such as innovative eSIM-first MVNOs and service providers, orchestrators, and travel eSIM vendors—these regions present a well-seeded market. This is particularly true in the United States, where Apple offers its iPhones exclusively as eSIM-only—a unique stance that overcomes the usual delay between device availability and actual usage. With other manufacturers expected to adopt this approach, and expansions of the policy to Western Europe and eventually beyond, MNOs must be prepared to scale eSIM support. Operator readiness varies by country, but with over a billion consumer profile downloads expected in 2029, the opportunity for infrastructure providers and service vendors is significant.

This is something of a pre-emptive moment for the eSIM market, with the big changes coming at the end of 2025 and throughout 2026. Chinese adoption, expanding eSIM-only usage, and SGP.32 deployments in the IoT market will mark years of sustained momentum. As the market matures, the opportunities available become more diverse, and stronger niche alignment will drive big wins for shrewd vendors.

These findings are from ABI Research’s eSIM in the Consumer and IoT Markets report. This report is part of the company’s eSIM & SIM Solutions research service, which includes research, data, and ABI Insights. 

About ABI Research

ABI Research is a global technology intelligence firm uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology solution providers and end-market companies. We serve as the bridge that seamlessly connects these two segments by providing exclusive research and expert guidance to drive successful technology implementations and deliver strategies proven to attract and retain customers.

ABI Research是一家全球性的技术情报公司,拥有得天独厚的优势,充当终端市场公司和技术解决方案提供商之间的桥梁,通过提供独家研究和专业性指导,推动成功的技术实施和提供经证明可吸引和留住客户的战略,无缝连接这两大主体。

For more information about ABI Research’s services, contact us at +1.516.624.2500 in the Americas, +44.203.326.0140 in Europe, +65.6592.0290 in Asia-Pacific, or visit www.abiresearch.com.

Contact Info:

Global                                                             
Jason Scheer                                                           
Tel: +1.516.624.2558                                                   
pr@abiresearch.com

 

DESLOC Shatters the Price Barrier: The C100 Plus Wi-Fi Smart Lock Makes Life Easy

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — DESLOC, a leading smart security brand with millions of users worldwide, today announced the availability of the C100 Plus, a Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock designed to simplify everyday life. Now available on Amazon and DESLOC.com, the C100 Plus combines effortless access, reliable security, and intuitive control—without the need for extra hubs or complicated setup.


Built-in Wi-Fi, Simplified Smart Living

The C100 Plus puts Wi-Fi connectivity at its core, enabling seamless remote management right out of the box. Through the independently developed DESLOC App, users can create and manage up to 100 PIN codes, customize notifications, assign access by name, and receive instant alerts—bringing complete control to their fingertips anytime, anywhere.

Convenience at the Door

Beyond app control, the built-in LockVue™ Display allows users to check lock status and manage settings directly on the device. The C100 Plus also integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, offering true hands-free convenience for busy households.

Reliable, Designed for Everyday Families

From auto-locking and anti-peep PIN protection to backup keys and a Type-C emergency power port, the C100 Plus is built for peace of mind. Its BHMA Grade 3 certification and IP54-rated weather resistance ensure long-lasting performance across different environments. With DESLOC’s PowerMax system, users enjoy up to six months of battery life on a single charge.

Quick Setup, Long-Term Security

Installation is simple, taking just 10–15 minutes with no drilling or wiring required. Automatic door swing detection makes the process even easier, ensuring the lock adapts to your home with minimal effort.

With the C100 Plus, DESLOC continues its mission to make smart, connected living easy, practical, and affordable—bringing the benefits of smart security to more families around the world.

Availability: The DESLOC C100 Plus is available now on Amazon and DESLOC.com.

About DESLOC

DESLOC is a global professional smart lock brand dedicated to making secure, smart living accessible to all. With over 16 years of industry experience and more than 300 patents, DESLOC builds high-quality smart locks that combine dependable performance with user-first design. Trusted by around 10 million families worldwide, DESLOC continues to lead with innovation that brings smart technology into every home’s security.

Media Contact:
press@desloc.com
www.desloc.com

AI Knowledge Management Solution ‘Factagora’ Enters US Market with AI Verification Technology

Factagora Officially Launches to Solve Generative AI Disinformation Problems

Provides AI Safety Verification Platform Integrating Knowledge Search, Verification, Structuring, and Generation

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Factagora, an AI safety company, today launched its comprehensive knowledge management and verification solution that eliminates hallucination threats through integrated search, verification, structuring, and generation processes. As generative AI proliferates across accuracy-critical sectors, incorrect AI-generated information can lead to serious business risks, making systematic verification frameworks essential.

AI Knowledge Management Solution 'Factagora' Enters US Market with AI Verification Technology
AI Knowledge Management Solution ‘Factagora’ Enters US Market with AI Verification Technology

Unlike existing RAG-based services that stop at simple search and generation, Factagora’s three-component platform—FactBlock for knowledge repository construction, DeepVerify for automated fact verification, and LiveArticle for interactive document interfaces—leverages a knowledge graph to enable multi-hop reasoning, allowing the AI to not only verify direct references but also trace and validate facts several logical steps away. This provides end-to-end AI reliability from foundation building to deep result validation.

Factagora established its US entity in March 2025. CEO Randy Baek brings over 14 years of expertise in Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Machine Learning (ML) from global companies including Samsung Electronics, HBO, FactSet, and 3M. Together with CPTO(Chief Product and Technology Officer) Guhyun Han, the team has developed innovative AI reliability solutions.

The platform’s effectiveness has been proven through deployment with major Korean law firms. In an open beta test involving 299 attorneys, Factagora delivered: 24% average work time reduction, 69% experienced quality improvements, and 95% expressed intent to continue usage. Based on these validated outcomes, the company has secured ongoing platform development contracts.

Comprehensive Solution Architecture

Factagora integrates the complete knowledge lifecycle through three core components:

  • FactBlock: Extracts and connects extended metadata and meaningful information units from unstructured text to build structured knowledge repositories
  • DeepVerify: Sequentially verifies knowledge graphs accumulated in FactBlock to reduce factual hallucinations and generate evidence-based consistent answers through automated reasoning workflows
  • LiveArticle: Provides a deeply verifiable, fact-linked document environment allowing intuitive identification and improvement of hallucinations, enabling knowledge exploration, verification, and sharing

“Factagora provides an integrated framework that manages the entire lifecycle of knowledge,” explained CEO Baek. “Our goal is to create a platform for managing Source of Truth, enabling fact-based decision making.”

Global Market Validation

Factagora has demonstrated technological competitiveness through strategic international partnerships, including an ESG AI testbed with OCBC Bank in Singapore and a Medicare Claim verification pilot with Brown University School of Public Health. The company was recognized by Gartner in 2024 as a noteworthy startup in the Disinformation Security field.

Expansion Strategy and Product Roadmap

Starting in September, Factagora will begin publishing Investment Research using LiveArticle to address investors’ challenges with AI analysis including lack of evidence, insufficient explanations, and fact verification difficulties. The platform provides trusted source-based responses, transparent reasoning paths, and evidence-based insights for enhanced decision-making.

This fall, the company plans to launch Advanced Features enabling general users to create LiveArticle content directly.

Factagora is currently in global expansion phase for US market entry, aiming to establish itself as the standard AI safety verification infrastructure in financial and healthcare sectors, targeting global AI developers and enterprise clients.

 

Sobot Encourages the Synergy of Generative AI & Multi-Faceted AI in Customer Contact

Establishing AI Rooted in Practical Applications and Users

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Sobot, an innovative AI customer contact solution provider, has released the latest testing results of its updated Sobot AI. With participation from over 100 customers, Sobot AI achieved an average response accuracy rate of over 90% and an independent resolution rate of 88%.

The driving force behind this improvement is what Sobot calls the synergy of Generative AI and Multi-faceted AI. Rather than simply pursuing sophisticated AI technologies, Sobot focuses on practical innovation in how AI is applied. This strategy is best reflected in Sobot’s “Five-AI” system, where Generative AI and Multi-Faceted AI play critical roles.

Sobot AI: Provide Human-Quality Service
Sobot AI: Provide Human-Quality Service

Sobot Generative AI Ensures Industry-Specific Accuracy

Among all applications of AI in customer service, Generative AI is one of the most widely recognized. But unlike conventional systems that rely on rigid rule-based responses, Sobot Generative AI delivers accurate, industry-specific and human-like answers.

RAG+LLMs: The Core Capabilities of Sobot Generative AI

At the heart of Sobot Generative AI is Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), combined with advanced large language models (LLMs). While the regular RAG process follows familiar steps like chunking, embedding, retrieval and generation, Sobot AI introduces several innovations that set Sobot apart.

Intelligent Chunking: Instead of relying on rigid fixed-length splitting, Sobot AI supports semantic and structure-aware chunking to preserve complete meaning, ensuring that AI can understand the context more deeply and retrieve the right content more accurately.

Precise Retrieval: Sobot AI automatically rewrites customer inquiries for clarity, then matches them with the most relevant content that meets the pre-set “recall threshold”. Advanced retrieval and re-ranking further ensure that the best-fitting results are selected.

Enhanced Generation: Sobot AI has integrated with multiple advanced LLMs including Claude, OpenAI, Amazon Bedrock, DeepSeek and more rather than just depending on a single model, generating more fluent and natural answers. Also, with the fine-tuned talking tones and styles, the answers sent to customers always sound clear, professional and aligned with the brands.

All of these help Sobot AI reduce LLM hallucination and improve answering accuracy.

Specifically Designed SLMs for Targeted Services

Apart from traditional LLMs, Sobot has also introduced several Small Language Models (SLMs) to further enhance the industry-specific accuracy of the AI answers. Rather than conducting broad reasoning, SLMs make Sobot AI more targeted and task-oriented.

“SLMs are designed for solving specific problems in various industries. Take retail and ecommerce industry as an example, our SLMs support businesses with common scenarios like order tracking, product recommendations, returns, refunds and more.” said Yi Xu, CEO of Sobot.

With the combined strengths of RAG, LLMs, and SLMs, Sobot Generative AI delivers answers that are not only accurate but also rooted in real-world business contexts.

Sobot Multi-Faceted AI: Applicable for Different Roles

While Generative AI promotes the intelligence of Sobot AI, Multi-faceted AI empowers different groups of people to use Sobot AI more intelligently. Sobot Multi-faceted AI consists of 3 key components: AI Agent, AI Copilot and AI Insight.

AI Agent: Provide Customers with More Satisfactory Services

At the core of every customer contact solution is the customer experience itself. That’s where Sobot AI Agent comes in. Sobot AI Agent delivers fast and human-like services across various channels, including chat, voice, email, social media and more. It intelligently and independently answers customers’ questions, supports flexible settings such as tones, answering styles, and sentence length, and provides multilingual support to meet global business needs.

AI Copilot: Assist Human Agents in More Efficient Work

Despite the popularity and advancement of AI, human agents remain essential in customer service, especially for complex issues. To facilitate human agents, Sobot has introduced AI Copilot for comprehensive assistance. Sobot AI Copilot helps agents in conversation summary, content expansion and polishing, one-click ticket filling and more, covering the complete journey of customer service. Rather than replacing agents, Copilot enhances their capabilities, lightens their workload, and boosts their confidence in delivering an excellent and efficient service to customers.

AI Insight: Support Administrators for Better Adjustment and Decision Making

Beyond daily interactions, customer service requires ongoing measurement and refinement. Sobot AI Insight consolidates reports, analytics, intelligent quality inspection, voice of customer (VOC) analysis and more data in a single dashboard, empowering administrators to observe over 300 indicators at one time to evaluate the performance of customer service. It gives administrators the intelligence they need to make timely adjustments and data-driven decisions.

Sobot AI: Built on Real Applications, Designed for Real Users

Looking ahead, Xu emphasized that AI for customer service should not be seen merely as a tool of automatic question answering, but as a partner that reshapes customer experience throughout the service journey. By combining Generative AI and Multi-Faceted AI, Sobot has managed to deliver an integrated customer contact solution that is deeply rooted in practical applications and diverse roles of users.

With this approach, Sobot is not only addressing today’s service challenges but also laying the foundation for the next era of intelligent, user-centric customer contact.

“Sobot AI is not just the stacking of functions, but the deep integration with applications and users. That’s where we stand out.” said Xu.

For more information, please visit https://www.sobot.io/.

2025 Region & China Smart City Awards Announced: “Tomorrow.City” Witnesses a New Chapter in Global Smart City Development

SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On September 4, 2025 Tomorrow.City Shanghai successfully concluded at the Zhangjiang Science Hall. At the closing ceremony, the highly anticipated Region & China Smart City Awards Ceremony was held, unveiling major honors including the Leadership Category Awards, City Category Awards, Enterprise Category Awards, Best Products Award, and Best Projects (X-SDI) Award. These accolades highlighted the outstanding achievements of Chinese and Asian cities in smart city development, setting benchmarks for global cooperation and innovation.

2025 Region & China Smart City Awards Announced: “Tomorrow.City” Witnesses a New Chapter in Global Smart City Development
2025 Region & China Smart City Awards Announced: “Tomorrow.City” Witnesses a New Chapter in Global Smart City Development

This year’s awards particularly recognized cities, institutions, enterprises, and individual representatives who have played a leading role in governance transformation and contributed exceptional solutions. The goal is to encourage more partners to join smart city building, share experiences, and jointly shape people-centered “Tomorrow.City.”

Launched by the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the World Smart City Awards (WSCA) are hailed as the “Oscars of the smart city field.” Since its establishment in 2011, it has become one of the most authoritative platforms in the industry. The Region & China Smart City Awards focus specifically on Asia’s urban digitalization journey. In 2025, the Organizing Committee received 152 best scenario proposals for smart cities, with 47 Chinese cities (including district-level units) submitting applications—further underscoring the award’s influence and leadership in advancing urban digitalization.

Wu Zhiqiang, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Member of German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), and Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA), stressed that future urban development requires not only cutting-edge technology but also deep global cooperation. “Tomorrow.City is not merely a platform to showcase technologies, but also a testbed for jointly exploring the future. China’s practices in smart cities, green energy, and urban governance are now being shared globally through Tomorrow.City, creating a Chinese model of global significance.”

The Chinese Model Leading Smart Transformation and Building Urban Innovation Benchmarks

China continues to attract international attention with innovative concepts and practical applications. In the 2025 China Smart City Awards, Guangzhou won the prestigious City Award, the highest honor in smart city building, for its pioneering achievements in digital governance and green low-carbon transformation—providing a “Chinese sample” for modernizing the governance of megacities worldwide.

In addition, Shanghai received the Safety and Resilience Award for its innovations in digitalized emergency management, while Suzhou Industrial Park in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province was honored with the Industry and Economy Award for advances in industrial digitalization. Dongguan, Guangdong Province secured the Mobility Award for its excellence in smart transportation, and Chaoyang District in Beijing received the Innovation Award for its exploration of new technologies and service models. Together, these winning cases fully demonstrated the Chinese model’s innovative strength and exemplary effect in promoting sustainable smart urban development.

Shan Zhiguang, Director of the Industrial Development and Research Department, National Information Center, observed: “A smart city is not something that is just ‘built’—it is continuously ‘used, improved, and refined.'” The sustained practices of Guangzhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Dongguan, and Beijing have created mature, workable solutions that offer valuable references for cities worldwide.

Product and Technology Innovation Shaping a New Landscape

The development of smart cities depends not only on supportive policies but also on technological innovation and business model exploration. This year’s Enterprise Category Awards highlighted Leading Corp., Outstanding S.M.E., and Rising Start-up that are shaping the smart city ecosystem. Beijing Chaoyang Environment Group Co., Ltd. was recognized with the Leading Corp. for its industry leadership. Shanghai Sancity Environment Technology Co., Ltd. and Shanghai Yixiao Aviation Technology both received the Outstanding S.M.E, showcasing the dynamism of smaller players. Meanwhile, Hangzhou CarbonSilicon AI Technology Development Co., Ltd. was honored with the Rising Start-up, reflecting its potential as a rising force in the sector.

Equally significant was the Best Products Award, which was shared by two pioneering innovations: the AlTaresh developed by Beijing Virtual Point Technology Co., Ltd., and the FondaCity AIoT Platform developed by ZHEJIANG FONDA TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. Both products demonstrated industry-leading strength in technological innovation, user experience, and market application, underlining the critical role of product excellence in advancing smart cities.

Scenario and Leadership: Dual Drivers of Future Urban Practice

Smart city development requires not only advanced technologies but also practical scenarios and strong leadership. The 2025 Best Projects (X-SDI) Award recognized eight groundbreaking cases spanning diverse areas such as green neighborhoods, rooftop photovoltaics, early fire detection, integrated urban governance platforms, AI-driven transformation, smart healthcare, and heritage preservation. These award-winning practices originated from Kazakhstan, Malaysia, New Zealand, China, Oman, the UAE, and Thailand. Each demonstrated how innovative approaches can address citizen needs and regional challenges while charting sustainable pathways for urban transformation.

Leadership Category Awards was also a central focus of this year’s Region Smart City Awards. The Principal Architect and Core Execution Team of Thailand’s Smart City Capacity-Building Programs received the highest distinction, the Leader Award, for their pivotal role in driving regional capacity building. HRH Shaikh Essa Abdulla Essa Abdulaziz Al Mualla (UAE), Ms. Grace de Leon (Innovation and Improvement Manager of Christchurch City Council, New Zealand), and Mr. Huang Yuezhen (Chairman of Guangzhou Digital Technology Group Co., Ltd., China) were respectively recognized with the Youth Talent Award, Expert Award, and Entrepreneur Award. Collectively, these leaders represent the backbone of smart city development, making outstanding contributions to urban transformation and innovation.

People-Centered Cooperation for a Sustainable “Tomorrow.City”

As a vital stage for the global smart city ecosystem, the World Smart City Awards not only recognize achievements but also foster cross-regional learning and cooperative building. All cities, enterprises, and individuals shortlisted in the 2025 Region & China Smart City Awards will be eligible to apply for the World Smart City Awards, gaining opportunities to showcase their excellence and innovation on an international stage.

“Through cooperation and exchange, we are not only designing the cities of the future—we are realizing them,” Academician Wu Zhiqiang emphasized. He highlighted that smart city development requires joint efforts by government, enterprises, and academia to transform technological innovation into practical governance capacity and public well-being.

With technological progress and deepening cooperation, Tomorrow.City is rapidly moving from vision to reality, collectively driving the construction of greener, smarter, and more inclusive future cities.

 

 

From “Design” to “Realization”: TCS 2025 Co-Creates a New Future for Global Smart Cities

SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — From September 2 to 6, the 2025 Tomorrow.City Shanghai (TCS 2025) was successfully held in Shanghai. With the theme “Challenge and Solution”, the event featured three days of public sessions and exhibitions in the venue, followed by two days of city field visits—realizing an integrated dialogue from event halls to the city itself. TCS 2025 gathered delegations from more than 110 cities across Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa, and nearly 300 government officials, business executives, scholars, and experts from 25 countries. Together, they explored future pathways for smart cities and digital transformation, promoted in-depth dialogue and cooperation among government, business, academia, research, and investment, and jointly built a normalized international exchange and cooperation network.

From “Design” to “Realization”: TCS 2025 Co-Creates a New Future for Global Smart Cities
From “Design” to “Realization”: TCS 2025 Co-Creates a New Future for Global Smart Cities

From publishing demands to matching projects, from demonstrating intent to signing agreements, the event delivered remarkable outcomes. By the close of the event, data showed that more than 517 pairs of supply and demand parties had connected through the Tomorrow.City Matchmaking Platform, resulting in 122 cooperation intentions and 39 signed contracts, with a total value of approximately USD 120 million. In addition, led by Tomorrow City Co-Investment Co., Ltd. and 12 regional partners, a large-scale USD 1 billion+ urban transformation and industrial cooperation initiative was launched, spanning Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America. This marked a new stage of active participation for Chinese technology enterprises in global smart city development.

A Global Consensus: Facing Challenges, Sharing Opportunities

At a time when cities worldwide are advancing toward green, sustainable development and data has become the core engine of a new productive force, TCS 2025 centered discussions on four key areas: Tomorrow.Technologies, Tomorrow.Mobility, Tomorrow.Environment, and Tomorrow.Utilities—facilitating international knowledge-sharing and cooperation.

Over three days, the event hosted 20 City Round-tables, 32 City Shows, and 45 City Challenge and Opportunity List Close Door Meetings. The 10,000 m² exhibition area featured more than 100 companies, shaping a multi-dimensional interactive framework that combined idea exchange, experience sharing, and industry matchmaking.

Global challenges such as climate change, aging populations, and energy transition were highlighted. Key sessions included:

Resilient Cities Public Session – addressed solutions for Southeast Asia’s flooding and the Middle East’s extreme heat, promoting resilient infrastructure co-built by governments and enterprises. Healthcare & Aging Public Session – explored AI and big-data-driven solutions for smart healthcare and elderly care, from technical breakthroughs to inclusive services. Energy Transition Public Session – tackled Asia’s dual challenge of high energy demand and carbon emissions, sharing China’s experiences in renewable energy and smart grids, and advocating digital technology for clean energy integration and regional cooperation.

City representatives and experts from Spain, Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Italy, and beyond shared insights. For example: José de la Uz, President of the Spanish Network of Smart Cities (RECI) and Mayor of Las Rozas de Madrid, noted: “With 94 million tourists annually, Spain is exploring a nationwide smart tourism platform balancing citizen well-being with visitor experience.” Leandro Aglieri, President of Rome Smart City Lab, highlighted: “Rome, as a historic and complex city, faces challenges in advancing smart city transformation, such as infrastructure development constrained by heritage preservation.” Speakers agreed that smart city development depends not only on technology but also on cross-sector collaboration, integration, and ecosystem sharing.

Alvaro Fernández, Co-CEO of Tomorrow.City, emphasized: “Tomorrow.City Shanghai is a vital stop in our global expansion. China’s rapid innovation in digitalization and smart mobility provides real-world scenarios and demonstrations for global smart city cooperation. Facing challenges of climate resilience, digital transformation, and social security, cities must share knowledge and collaborate continuously to foster smarter, more sustainable, and livable cities.”

Major Releases: Data Governance & Smart Industry Achievements

During the event, several landmark results were unveiled:

Caixin Global Institute launched the world’s first Robotics Industry Index, quantitatively tracking the share of robotics investment in the economy and comparing city-level differences, offering scientific references for smart manufacturing and urban-industrial collaboration.

Fudan University’s Lab for Digital & Mobile Governance released the 2025 “ShuLin Operations” Index and the 2025 China Local Government Public Data Licensing Report, providing systematic, compliant, secure, and transparent guidelines for empowering public services with data and advancing China’s role in international data governance.

The “Thematic Event-Smart Cities 2050: Shanghai’s Showcase of Representative Practical Cases” presented frontier applications such as digital twin transportation, smart hospitals, connected vehicles, low-altitude economy, and the metaverse—together shaping the “Shanghai Model.”

After the event, nearly 150 delegates from 18 countries joined the Tomorrow.City Journey to visit 10 smart city demonstration sites, including Xuhui ZhongShan Hospital (smart healthcare), Shanghai Jinqiao (Group)Co., Ltd. (smart mobility), Pudong Laogang (energy & environment), Changning Silicon Alley (urban renewal), and Zhangjiang Robot Valley (AI).

Shan Zhiguang, Director of the Industrial Development and Research Department, National Information Center, noted: “A smart city is not something you just ‘build,’ but something you ‘use, adjust, and continuously refine.’ Only through practice can feasible smart city solutions emerge.” Shanghai has fully demonstrated China’s innovative leadership in global smart city development.

Cooperation with Real Impact: The Chinese Model Goes Global

On international cooperation and business expansion, TCS 2025 released the List of City Challenges & Opportunities, launched the Shanghai Telecommunications and Internet Industry Overseas Expansion Practice Forum, and organized International City Shows and Closed-door Meetings. These diverse channels opened cooperation opportunities, linking Chinese enterprises and overseas partners in practical ways.

The Tomorrow.City Community Shanghai was officially inaugurated, serving as a long-term international network node connecting over 100 countries and regions. Alongside representatives from 15 countries, the first list of 69 cooperative project demands was released. Projects in Malaysia, Thailand, and other markets—focusing on green energy, digital transformation, recycling, and AI big data—have already entered advanced negotiations. Argentina, Qatar, New Zealand, Uruguay, and Oman are also actively engaging on topics such as smart mobility, climate resilience, and carbon-neutral ecosystems.

The Green Expansion Global Public Session spotlighted compliance, financing, and technology collaboration in solid waste treatment and incineration, exploring models for sustainable development in Southeast Asia and beyond. Vichate Tantiwanich, Chairman of Smart and Livable Cities Institute (SLIC), commented: “Chinese enterprises’ technologies and services are highly adaptable in Southeast Asia. Thailand looks forward to more collaboration with them.”

Through multiple investment matchmaking and regional showcases, partnerships between Chinese companies and global counterparts are accelerating, offering scalable solutions and replicable experiences for global smart city development.

At the closing ceremony, Region & China Smart City Awards ceremony, powered by WSCA recognized outstanding Leadership Category Awards, City Category Awards, Enterprise Category Awards, Best Products Award, and Best Projects (X-SDI) Award, highlighting Asia’s innovation in smart city construction. Luis Mao, CEO of SCEWC & Tomorrow.City Greater China Area, concluded: “TCS 2025 is more than an exhibition; it is a platform that drives cooperation into action, showcasing the confidence and commitment of Chinese cities to share wisdom and shape the future together with the world.”

Looking Ahead

The 2025 Tomorrow.City Shanghai not only showcased the latest outcomes and trends in global smart city construction but also provided an essential platform for experience exchange, technical cooperation, and project implementation among international cities.

“Through cooperation and exchange, we are not only designing the cities of the future—we are realizing them,” emphasized Wu Zhiqiang, Member of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Member of German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech), and Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA). He stressed that smart city development requires joint efforts by government, industry, and academia to transform technological innovation into governance capacity and citizen well-being.

The event was organized by Fira Internacional de Barcelona, Smart City Expo World Congress, the Shanghai Application and Promotion Center of City Digital Transformation (Shanghai Smart City Promotion Center), and the Shanghai Pudong New Area Bureau of Data; undertaken by Shanghai Tomorrow City & Enterprise Development Co., Ltd.; and supported by the People’s Government of Pudong New Area and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Data.

The outcomes of TCS 2025 will also be carried forward to the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) in Barcelona this November, further deepening global cooperation in smart city development.

Asia New Vision Forum 2025 Opens in Singapore, Gathers Global Leaders to Chart the Future Amid Uncertainty

SINGAPORE, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Asia New Vision Forum (ANVF) 2025, organized by Caixin Global with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) as host partner, opened today in Singapore for the third consecutive year. Under the theme “Charting the Future Amid Uncertainty”, the forum brought together over 600 investors, entrepreneurs, and high-level government officials from more than 12 countries to share insights on critical global economic and business issues.  

Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, Gan Kim Yong, delivered the forum’s opening keynote on Asia’s role in a fragmented world.

In his opening address, Caixin Media’s Editor-in-Chief Wang Shuo expounded on the forum’s theme and emphasized the importance of steering by the pole star, while staying flexible on the journey, cautioning against excessive preparation. Echoing Cold War scholar John Gaddis, he noted that in times of unpredictability, embracing inconsistencies and even contradictions should not be feared. Wang concluded with the reminder to protect freedom in the face of hard choices.

The opening panel discussion featured Hu Shuli, Publisher of Caixin Media, Chairwoman of Caixin Global, and Chairwoman of the Asia New Vision Forum, and Lawrence H. Summers, Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus of Harvard University, and Former U.S. Treasury Secretary. They exchanged views on critical issues including U.S. debt, tariffs, artificial intelligence, and China–U.S. relations. Summers remarked that, in many respects, U.S. tariffs are an “extremely unwise” policy, though the global trading system is far from collapse. He added that AI holds great potential to significantly boost economic growth, but ensuring the safety of the technology places a heavy responsibility on both China and the United States. He stressed that the two countries should abandon a “winner-takes-all” mindset.

Spanning three days, ANVF 2025 features over 30 sessions including plenaries, panel discussions, closed-door seminars, and site visits. The forum agenda explores Asia’s evolving role in the global economy, covering global hot topics like geopolitics and financial markets and diverse dialogues on the key growth engines, namely, frontiers in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, urgent demands of the energy transition, and the future of advanced manufacturing and consumption. Senior executives from leading biotech, pharmaceutical, healthcare, lifestyle, and consumer enterprises, will guide pivotal discussions on innovation, brand strategy, market expansion, and sustainability frameworks.

Cao Zhongming, Chinese Ambassador to Singapore, delivered remarks titled “ASEAN–China Business Ties in a Shifting Global Economy,” outlining a vision for deepened cooperation and shared prosperity between ASEAN and China.

Among the forum’s panels, “Trump 2.0 & Asia’s New Playbook” is focused on addressing escalating geopolitical tensions. Speakers including Djoomart Otorbaev, former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic and Andrew Sheng, Pro-Chancellor of Bristol University, Distinguished Fellow of Asia Global Institute at University of Hong Kong, explored how to reshape trade flows, investment strategies, and the future of regional economic integration amid global uncertainty.

Key panels on the first day included “Investing in Asia: How Businesses and Investors Adapt” to examine opportunities within Asia’s complex investment landscape and “Digital Assets in Motion: The Next Era of Finance” to explore building an adaptive and resilient digital infrastructure while maintaining financial system stability and safeguarding investor rights.

At the networking luncheon, Huang Yiping, Dean of National School of Development at Peking University, delivered a special keynote speech on “China’s Economy: Realities, Visions, and the Path Forward.”

The inaugural Caixin CG Capital Forum was also launched today under the theme of “AI, Automation & The Next Digital Frontier”. Wei Shaojun, Professor of Tsinghua University and IEEE Fellow, delivered a keynote on ” Semiconductors and China’s Next Industrial Revolution.” Representatives from the industry, academia, and research engaged in deep dialogues, offering diverse perspectives to promote the healthy development and practical application of AI technology in Asia.

Day one of the forum concludes with a gala dinner where Fang Xinghai, former Vice Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and Fang Fenglei, founder of Hopu Investment, will lead a dialogue on “Opening the Door: China’s Capital Market and Global Opportunities”, to analyze the current capital market and explore its emerging opportunities.

Over the next two days, the forum will continue to spotlight pressing issues including geopolitics, biotechnology, and green energy with insights from distinguished speakers including former political leaders, senior UN representatives, academic experts, innovators and executives from major corporations. In partnership with STB, a roundtable titled ‘Gateway to Growth: Leveraging Singapore for the Next Stage of Global Expansion’ aims to offer practical frameworks and highlight success stories of corporate international expansion with Singapore as the base.

A unique feature of ANVF is its practical business exchange platform, where Caixin will host a curated set of workshops focused on Chinese enterprises going global. The workshops will address real-world challenges around policy, branding, talent and market entry through the sharing of case studies and expert advice by senior industry representatives. Four workshops will be held on the first two days. On the third day, over 50 executives and entrepreneurs are expected to participate in a customized visit to Bird Paradise in Mandai Wildlife Reserve, while learning about Singapore’s capital markets and its model of integrating sustainability with business.

As a premier regional business leadership forum launched abroad by a Chinese organization, the Asia New Vision Forum has received support from the Singapore government. Now in its third year after its 2023 inception, the forum has steadily grown into an influential international platform for exchange. The Asia New Vision Forum will return to Singapore for its 2027 and 2029 editions. 

For more information, visit the event page.

About Caixin Global

Caixin Global is one of the most respected global sources for macroeconomic, financial and business news and information about China. Built on Caixin Media’s award-winning journalism, Caixin Global delivers fast, reliable business and financial news about China to the world. It offers news in English via a 24/7 digital and mobile platform (caixinglobal.com) and publishes a print magazine Caixin: China Economics and Finance. Caixin Global’s conference arm is committed to building high-end platforms for intellectual exchange, convening elites from government, industry, and academia from China and abroad. It aims to deliver cutting-edge insights from opinion leaders to business professionals focused on global development in an era of transformation. For more information, please visit https://www.caixinglobal.com/