Meeting of minds: Participants at the event posing for a group photo to commemorate regional cooperation in digital transformation.
China-Asean training programme and seminar promote inclusive, ethical innovations
Building artificial intelligence (AI) capacity should be the region’s priority, given its accelerating impact across industries, public services and societies, says Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) president Prof Dr Jeffrey Chiang Choong Luin.
In his welcome address at the 2026 China-Asean AI Capacity Building Training Programme and High-Level Seminar on AI Frontier Technologies and Governance, Prof Chiang underscored Malaysia’s leadership in establishing the Asean AI Safety Network, with its secretariat based in Kuala Lumpur, as a milestone for regional AI governance.
He further highlighted national initiatives such as AI Class Asean and the IEM Position Paper on Construction 4.0, reinforcing the importance of inclusive development and ethical frameworks.
Jointly organised by the Chinese Association of Automation (CAA), the Federation of Engineering Institutions of Asia and the Pacific (FEIAP), IEM, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Xiamen University Malaysia, and supported by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations Committee on Engineering for Innovative Technologies, and the Asean Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET), the event strengthened China-Asean cooperation in AI, promoted regional digital transformation, and advanced people-centred and responsible AI development.
Held at a hotel in KL on Jan 23 and at the UTAR Sungai Long campus on Jan 24, the event convened senior policymakers, industry leaders and leading academics to discuss the future of AI governance, security and industrial applications in the region.
FEIAP president Dr Aung Kyaw Myat stressed that Asean must shift from merely adopting AI to building and innovating with it.
Detailing a four-pillar strategy – human capital, infrastructure, governance and research – and showcasing Myanmar’s newly established AI Laboratory at Yangon Technological University as a model for regional academic-industry synergy, he affirmed the role of varsities as innovation hubs critical to AI ecosystem development.
Reflecting on CAA’s 65-year legacy, its vice-president Dr Hou Zengguang reiterated the association’s commitment to promoting AI for global good while emphasising China’s readiness to work with its Asean partners to realise inclusive, people-centred AI advancement.
UTAR president and AAET president Prof Datuk Dr Ewe Hong Tat hailed the event as a bridge linking diplomatic ties, national aspirations and academic-industry collaboration.
He stressed that universities must not only drive innovation but also ensure technology serves society responsibly.
UTAR, he said, is aligned with Malaysia’s digital transformation goals through education, research and regional engagement.
The two-day programme featured topics including national AI policy, frontier technologies, cybersecurity and industrial AI applications, alongside expert-led technical training on robotic physical intelligence, deep learning, reinforcement learning, and AI model intellectual property protection.
Roundtable discussions examining AI education and capacity building to promote people-centred and responsible AI development, as well as the prospects for China-Asean AI cooperation and technology transfer, were also held.
Citing the organisation’s landmark Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Unesco Regional Office for East Asia director Prof Dr Shahbaz Khan advocated for a fair, inclusive AI governance model for the Global South.
He also called for sustained multilateral collaboration between China, Malaysia and Unesco to address shared ethical and technological challenges.
