Vietnam and Thailand deepen AI partnerships with ZTE, Meta and Huawei

Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân met with senior executives from China’s ZTE and Meta, as well as Thailand’s Minister of Digital Economy Chaichanok Chidchob, during the APEC ministers’ conference on digital and artificial intelligence in China on 24 July 2026. The discussions focused on expanding AI cooperation, digital‑transformation initiatives, workforce training and refining regulatory frameworks. Vietnam highlighted its recent AI‑related legislation and sought joint research centres and AI labs, while Meta pledged to broaden AI skill programmes for small‑and‑medium enterprises and cooperate with Vietnamese universities. Thailand exchanged views on digital‑economy growth, AI governance and child‑online safety.

In a related effort, Chinese tech group Huawei presented a suite of AI solutions to Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul during a visit to Beijing on 19 July 2026. Huawei’s proposals included establishing AI centres for SMEs, deploying AI‑driven tourism promotion tools, smart‑city applications, AI agents for public‑service automation, and virtual power‑plant technologies. The firm also emphasized data‑sovereignty safeguards, cybersecurity measures and a partnership with over 40 Thai universities to train 10 000 technology professionals.

Together, these engagements illustrate a broader Southeast Asian push to integrate AI technologies across industry, government services and education, with Chinese firms playing a key role in supporting Vietnam’s and Thailand’s digital‑economy ambitions.