A provincial capital in the western region, often overlooked, has secured a national-level pilot project.

According to a report by CCTV News on May 21, reporters learned from the National Data Administration that the international cooperation pilot project in the data field in Nanning, Guangxi, targeting the ASEAN region, has been officially launched, making Nanning one of the first batch of pilot cities for international cooperation in the data field in the country.

A relevant person in charge of the Big Data Development Bureau of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region introduced that in terms of data infrastructure construction, Guangxi will accelerate the construction of the Nanning International Communication Service Exit-Entry Bureau to significantly reduce the latency of data transmission to ASEAN. In terms of building a cross - border service ecosystem, Guangxi will focus on promoting the mutual recognition of data governance rules between China and ASEAN, building a China - ASEAN data trading service network to promote the efficient cross - border allocation of data elements, and setting up a one - stop cross - border compliance service platform. In terms of cultivating digital cooperation scenarios, Guangxi will focus on the market demand in ASEAN and build a cross - border industrial ecosystem of "R & D in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou + Integration in Guangxi + Application in ASEAN".

In the era of artificial intelligence, the role of data as a basic resource and an innovation engine is becoming increasingly prominent.

In May this year, at the 2026 Global Digital Cooperation and Exchange Conference, Shanghai announced the launch of a comprehensive pilot project for international cooperation in the data field, becoming one of the first batch of pilot cities in the country.

At that time, Yu Ying, the deputy director of the National Data Administration, revealed that recently the National Data Administration has planned pilot projects for international cooperation in the data field, and Shanghai took the lead in launching and formed an implementation plan with a clear path.

According to the deployment, Shanghai will explore cooperation in cross - border facilities, institutional innovation, rule docking, and scenario opening, and build a "data hub" with global allocation capabilities. Local media previously reported that this "marks a crucial step for China in the fields of cross - border data flow, digital governance, and international cooperation".

With the launch of the international cooperation pilot project in the data field targeting the ASEAN region in Nanning, it has become the second city after Shanghai to "officially announce" to undertake the pilot task. Compared with Shanghai's positioning as a "comprehensive pilot", Nanning's pilot direction is clearly defined as "targeting ASEAN".

Why Nanning? As the only provincial - level administrative region in China that is connected to ASEAN both by land and sea, Guangxi is the "bridgehead" for China's opening - up and cooperation with ASEAN. The 15th Five - Year Plan Outline of Guangxi clearly states that it is necessary to build the China - ASEAN National Artificial Intelligence Application Cooperation Center at a high standard.

The National Data Administration said that supporting Nanning to carry out the international cooperation pilot project in the data field targeting the ASEAN region is an important measure to consolidate the China - ASEAN Community with a Shared Future.

It is hoped that Guangxi will give full play to its geographical advantages in opening - up and cooperation with ASEAN, boldly explore in building interconnected data infrastructure, cultivating an inclusive and efficient cross - border service ecosystem, and expanding diverse digital cooperation scenarios, and form a number of replicable and promotable institutional achievements and practical cases to provide a demonstration and reference for the country's international cooperation in the data field.

Guangxi also said that it will base on its geographical endowment of "connecting eleven countries with one bay", closely follow the new needs of opening - up and cooperation with ASEAN, focus on the core needs of data circulation, computing power coordination, and industrial empowerment between China and ASEAN, comprehensively promote the construction of three major sectors including data infrastructure, cross - border service ecosystem, and digital cooperation scenarios, and strive to build a high - ground for data opening and cooperation targeting the ASEAN region.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Urban Evolution Theory", author: Liu Yanmei, published by 36Kr with authorization.