Visitors try out an AI glass during the 22nd China-ASEAN Expo on September 18, 2025. Photo: Zhang Weilan/GT

At the bustling artificial intelligence (AI) pavilion of the ongoing 22nd China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which kicked off on Wednesday in Nanning, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a pair of AI glasses developed in Guangxi and manufactured in Shenzhen has captured the attention of both domestic and international visitors, the Global Times learned on Thursday.

The booth of Guangxi-based Maiyue Technology has seen a steady stream of visitors over the past two days, after one of the company's products, AI smart glasses with translation features, debuted at the opening ceremony of the expo, highlighting the growing popularity of "Guangxi-made" AI products. 

Analysts said the popularity of these gadgets reflects China's advancements in AI technology but also highlights Guangxi's role as an innovation hub between China and ASEAN, according to the Guangxi Daily reported.

The popularity of Chinese AI products at the expo is evident. Rokid, a Hangzhou-based AR startup, which showcased its Rokid Glasses, which are touted as the "world's lightest full-function AI and AR smart glasses," according to a company's representative surnamed Huang. Huang told the Global Times that on the opening day of the exhibition, they received over 500 orders from Singaporean clients alone.

It follows a senior Guangxi official Chen Gang who has donned the Maiyue's AI glasses during his opening speech on Wednesday. During the speech, Chen demonstrated the glasses' text prompting feature, which projects content onto the lenses in a transparent window while providing real-time two-way translation. This demonstration quickly drew interest online, with many expressing curiosity about the product's price and availability, according to Guangxi Daily. 

The AI glasses, which weigh about 40 grams and have a battery life of 2-4 hours, will go on sale at e-commerce platform JD.com at a price of 3,999 yuan ($562), Huang Yuyang, marketing director of Guangxi-based Maiyue Tech, told the Global Times on the expo floor on Thursday. 

He explained that these AI glasses are drawn on the company's extensive ASEAN corpus and advanced AI translation models to support real-time translation in over 40 languages, boasting a recognition rate of over 90 percent for lesser-known ASEAN languages. The glasses are designed for use in various scenarios, including international travel, business meetings, and academic conferences, helping users overcome language barriers, said Huang.

According to Huang, the company signed a strategic cooperation agreement with a Thai technology company, YongSheng International Business Management (Bangkok), witnessed by officials from Thailand's investment department on Thursday, securing an order for 1,000 units. He emphasized that the glasses have strong market potential in Southeast Asian countries, and while their production line is currently based in Shenzhen, there are plans to establish manufacturing facilities in Southeast Asia in the future.

Huang noted that the expo is an ideal showcase, putting Chinese AI hardware face-to-face with ASEAN buyers. By leveraging existing trade links between Guangxi and ASEAN countries—and partnering with local agents on Thai and Vietnamese e-commerce sites—the company hopes to convert initial interest into lasting market share.

In addition to AI glasses, other smart devices such as robot dogs, unmanned vehicles, and AI pets also attracted strong interest from ASEAN clients, with visitors from India, Vietnam, Indonesia expressing enthusiasm for the showcased technologies, highlighting the growing synergy between China and ASEAN in the realm of technology and innovation.

Vietnamese businessman Linh Tran, attending the expo for the first time, told the Global Times that many of his peers consider that China's AI technology is advanced. He is especially interested in AI applications for port management, hoping to find suitable cooperation opportunities.

According to CCTV News reports, the domestic AI glasses market saw explosive growth in the first half of this year. Data from e-commerce platforms showed that during the period, transaction volume for the category has surged tenfold year-on-year, while the number of participating brands more than tripled from a year earlier.

Global Times