ASEAN countries are accelerating the advancement of digital construction.

China UnionPay's subsidiary, UnionPay International, and the Lao National Payment Network recently announced the implementation of their QR code network interconnectivity cooperation. Starting from today, consumers can use the Cloud Quick Payment APP, domestic wallets that support the "Cloud Quick Payment Network Payment Platform," and overseas UnionPay cooperative wallets to scan and pay at Lao merchants. According to reports, almost all merchant sales terminals and ATMs in Laos currently support UnionPay cards, and an increasing number of local residents are using QR code payments.

The increasing popularity of electronic payments in Laos is a microcosm of the acceleration of digital construction in ASEAN countries. The ASEAN region has a total population of over 600 million, with internet and mobile phone penetration rates increasing year by year, providing a solid foundation for electronic payments. According to consulting firm Bain & Company, the penetration rate of electronic wallets in Southeast Asia's payment methods is expected to increase from 4% in 2021 to 7% in 2025. New generations of internet access technologies and artificial intelligence technologies bring new opportunities for e-commerce development in the region. According to the "2024 Southeast Asia Digital Economy Report" recently released by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, the electronic payment markets in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines will reach $220 billion in 2024, accounting for more than 80% of the Southeast Asian e-commerce market, with Thailand's QR code payments expected to account for 55% of e-commerce transactions.

Journalists have personally experienced the convenience of electronic payments in Southeast Asian countries. In the Parkson Shopping Center in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, more and more restaurants and merchants accept payment methods such as WeChat and Alipay. "The number of international tourists to Laos is increasing, and many Chinese tourists prefer mobile payments, so we need to keep up with our customers' needs," said商场 staff member Pum. In many shopping centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, local people are seen using mobile payments, and some merchants also recommend using Alipay for shopping settlements. In Thailand, industries such as supermarkets, catering, gas stations, and taxis almost all accept electronic payments. Popular social, consumption, and shopping applications in Thailand all have electronic payment functions. At supermarket checkout counters, clerks also hand over receiving QR codes for consumers to choose from. As long as you have a Thai bank debit card and have opened electronic banking services, you can scan and pay.

In recent years, ASEAN governments have continued to improve digital payment infrastructure and networks. The Indonesian government launched a "National Cashless Movement," issued electronic money licenses, and released an Indonesian standardized QR code payment system covering more than 6 million merchants; the Thai government vigorously promoted the digital payment system "PromptPay," where users can register accounts and log in to the system with just an ID number and phone number to make payments; the Singaporean government strongly supports digital banking, and the Monetary Authority has issued full digital banking licenses to ride-hailing and food delivery platform Grab and Singapore Telecommunications consortium, as well as technology company Sea Limited. In addition, electronic payment connections between regional countries are also accelerating, with ASEAN launching the "ASEAN Digital Integration Framework" to promote cooperation among member countries in data sharing, cross-border payments, and cybersecurity; Thailand's "PromptPay" and Singapore's "PayNow" have already achieved interconnectivity.

With the innovative development of digital businesses such as mobile payments and e-commerce, the digital consumer market in the Southeast Asian region is expanding rapidly. To accommodate large-scale digital network applications, the demand for data center construction has also increased. Southeast Asia is becoming a popular region for global data center investment, especially countries like Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, attracting multinational companies like Amazon and Google to expand their investments. At the same time, smart city projects are also progressing steadily to address urbanization issues such as transportation, energy, and the environment. Singapore implements the "Smart Nation" plan, investing heavily in the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and big data; Thailand promotes smart transportation and energy projects in Bangkok and other cities through the "Eastern Economic Corridor" plan; Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam are also actively building smart transportation and smart housing projects.

ASEAN countries and China continue to strengthen cooperation in digital technology, providing important support for regional countries to accelerate digital construction. For example, Huawei Cloud has built 18 cloud availability zones in the Asia-Pacific region, has more than 15 industry partners in Thailand, and has launched more than 100 cloud services; China Mobile has signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with Singapore Telecom and others, focusing on cooperation in areas such as 5G and IoT applications, system integration solutions, and more. ASEAN Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi said that ASEAN is clearly aware of the transformative power of digital technology and sees it as a new driver of economic growth. Emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence bring great opportunities for ASEAN and China to expand cooperation.