Malaysia Hosts China-ASEAN Innovation Finals, Sparking Bright Ideas
The 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition took place on July 30, 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, co-hosted by China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and the ASEAN Secretariat. The competition, themed "Innovation Cooperation for a Shared Dream," attracted a total of 329 submissions from 23 countries and regions.
The event served as a strategic platform for cross-border technology collaboration and promoted sustainable economic integration across the region. The competition focused on developments in artificial intelligence-driven industrial transformation and renewable energy technologies. Participating countries and regions included Mainland China, Macao, Taiwan, all 10 ASEAN member states, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Fiji, and the Netherlands.
The finalists were divided into two tracks: startup teams and established companies. After a competitive selection process, 19 outstanding projects advanced to the final round. These projects hailed from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand.
The winners were awarded in two tracks—startup teams and established companies. In the startup category, LPBreath took the top prize, with LaGreeNovation as the 1st runner-up and InnoCrafters as the 2nd runner-up. In the established companies category, the winners were not publicly disclosed.
In addition to the main awards, eight projects received "Cooperation Star" recognition, and seven were named "Innovation Stars." The China-ASEAN Technology Transfer Center (CATTC), based in Guangxi, likely played a role in the competition's organization.
Separately, a university student innovation competition in Southeast Asia awarded 50 teams with first, second, and third prizes, representing universities like Xiamen University Malaysia, University of Malaya, National University of Singapore, and Cambodia University of Technology and Science. This event was tied to the broader China International College Students’ Innovation Competition but appears to be distinct from the main 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.
The 3rd China-ASEAN Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition emphasized innovation, cross-border collaboration, and sustainable economic integration within the China-ASEAN region. However, a comprehensive public list of all winning projects and recognized teams was not provided in the search results.
The competition highlighted innovations in technology, particularly artificial intelligence and renewable energy, attracting entries from various industries and finance sectors worldwide. During the event, business collaborations were fostered, aiming to drive cross-border technological advancements, thereby promoting sustainable economic growth in the region.
