Chongqing - At the 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum held in Singapore on June 12, thought leaders from Ant International, Tencent, and other organizations shared how artificial intelligence, cultural adaptability, and financial innovation are reshaping China-ASEAN economic cooperation.

One of the Roundtable Sessions at the 2025 Land-Sea Economic Forum. (Photo/WCICO)

AI and localization: the keys to unlocking Southeast Asia

"Southeast Asia is not a monolith," said Daniel Chua, Head of Commercial, SEA at WorldFirst, Ant International. "From Singapore to Thailand, each country has its own cultural, linguistic, and regulatory distinctions. Localization is not optional- it's essential." Ant is evolving beyond a payment platform into a full-service fintech solution, integrating compliance, financing, and fraud detection for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that seek to navigate this complexity.

Mark Wang, General Manager of Solutions and Customer Success, Tencent Smart Retail and Life Industries, emphasized the demographic advantage: "In Indonesia and Vietnam, most e-commerce users are under 30. They're mobile-first and willing to try new brands." Tencent leverages AI to align supply chains with local preferences and integrates WeChat Pay to streamline transactions. Tencent also helps retail partners develop mini-program ecosystems that enable one-stop digital customer journeys, further lowering barriers to new market entry.

Cultural adaptation: the human side of cross-border commerce

However, market success requires more than just algorithms. Li Mi, Chief of Staff and CMO, Advance Intelligence Group, highlighted the emotional core of cross-border commerce. "China models like TikTok and Xiaohongshu work here only if adapted with cultural nuance," she said. Advance Intelligence Group combines AI identity verification tools with influencer localization strategies and community co-creation, especially in Muslim-majority and youth-driven markets.

She added that platforms must have a deep understanding of local behavior. "In Indonesia, we built offline libraries and sponsored buses during holidays to resonate with rural communities. The brand connection must go beyond the screen." According to Li, their AI-driven virtual assistants now handle 70% of customer service cases in local languages with high user satisfaction.

Culture also intersects with commerce in content formats. Robin Liu, Vice President and CMO of MINISO, shared how the brand's design-forward aesthetic, inspired by East Asian culture, has resonated globally, particularly in markets such as Indonesia, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. "We localize our IP collaborations and store experience without losing our Chinese roots," said Liu.

Robin Liu, Vice President & CMO, MINISO. (Photo/WCICO)

Tencent Video also highlighted its global content push. With drama series like Three-Body and variety shows distributed across Asia and beyond, Tencent focuses on both subtitling and local co-productions to ensure cultural relatability. 

"Thailand and Vietnam have a strong appetite for Chinese content, especially costume dramas, while Indonesia leans toward modern storytelling. With 280 million people and a young population with solid digital payment habits, Indonesia remains a high-potential market, so we localize accordingly," Xiang Juan, Head of Overseas Business Center, Tencent Video, noted.

Financial interconnectivity: The backbone of regional integration

Beyond commerce and culture, regional integration depends on financial interconnectivity. Deng Guanghuai, Executive Vice District Mayor of the People's Government of Yuzhong District, Chongqing Municipality, noted that financial services are becoming the backbone of regional cooperation. "Yuzhong is emerging as a prime destination for Singaporean investment," he said. "Our efforts in cross-border capital integration have also helped several Chongqing-based companies successfully list in Singapore."

In Singapore, services account for more than 70% of the economy; in Yuzhong, the figure exceeds 90%, with finance playing a major role. This shared focus opens up vast opportunities for deeper collaboration between the two regions.

Echoing this, Chia Caihan, Head of Greater China Capital Markets at the Singapore Exchange (SGX), added that SGX's multi-asset platform is becoming increasingly attractive to issuers and investors in the ASEAN region. "We've streamlined processes for secondary listings by Chinese companies here, offering tax incentives and faster approvals," she noted.

Chia Caihan, Head of Greater China Capital Markets, Singapore Exchange. (Photo/WCICO)

SGX also collaborates with Singapore's financial regulator to enhance market depth, with initiatives including a SGD 50 billion securities grant to boost liquidity and more flexible disclosure requirements. "Our goal is to be a bridge- facilitating Chinese firms' overseas listings while mobilizing ASEAN capital into sustainable infrastructure and digital finance projects."