Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, south China - March 26, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of sub-forum of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2026 Annual Conference in progress, attendees
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Fang Rong, chair of board, ZTE Corporation (ending with shot 3):
"The integration of AI with traditional industries is not merely about adding new technology, it's about redefining industry rules. For example, we use AI for flexible manufacturing, enabling small-batch, multi-product, rapid response production. The benefits driven by these complex digital dividends far outweigh the savings from relocating industries and reducing labor costs."
3. Various of attendees
4. Sub-forum in progress
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Denis Depoux, global managing director, Roland Berger (ending with shot 6):
"We've also measured that when it works, productivity uplift, for example, for basic generative AI applications, can range from 14 percent in customer support in our survey to 60 percent in software development."
6. Various of attendees
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO, Asia Investor Group on Climate Change; CEO, Investor Group on Climate Change (ending with shot 8):
"One of the reasons I've come to the Boao Forum is to talk about with the senior leaders business forum between Australia and China to talk about how we can accelerate the roll-out of green iron and green steel between Australia and and China. And that is a unique opportunity. And the steel, as the backbone behind the new construction of the AI industry, the data centers, they can be the demand signal for green steel."
8. Various of attendees

Boao Town, Qionghai City, Hainan Province, south China - Recent (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
9. Aerial shots of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2026 venue

China is at the forefront of global artificial intelligence (AI), which will bring new development opportunities across all industries, delegates said at a sub-forum of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) 2026 Annual Conference.

The four-day BFA 2026 Annual Conference concluded in the town of Boao, south China's Hainan Province, on Friday. This year's conference is themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation."

Speaking at the sub-forum on Thursday, attendees had in-depth exchanges of views on AI development, with a prominent focus on China's pioneering role in the sector.

As the AI wave intensifies, industries worldwide are increasing investments in intelligent technologies to capture market share and speed up product launches. Delegates pointed out that AI is seamlessly integrating into traditional sectors at an unprecedented pace.

"The integration of AI with traditional industries is not merely about adding new technology, it's about redefining industry rules. For example, we use AI for flexible manufacturing, enabling small-batch, multi-product, rapid response production. The benefits driven by these complex digital dividends far outweigh the savings from relocating industries and reducing labor costs," said Fang Rong, chair of the board of ZTE Corporation.

"We've also measured that when it works, productivity uplift, for example, for basic generative AI applications, can range from 14 percent in customer support in our survey to 60 percent in software development," said Denis Depoux, global managing director at Munich-based Roland Berger.

Delegates agreed that Asia is transitioning from a follower to a leader in AI development, with China's advancements in the field expected to generate new opportunities for industries worldwide.

"One of the reasons I've come to the Boao Forum is to talk about with the senior leaders business forum between Australia and China to talk about how we can accelerate the roll-out of green iron and green steel between Australia and and China. And that is a unique opportunity. And the steel, as the backbone behind the new construction of the AI industry, the data centers, they can be the demand signal for green steel," said Rebecca Mikula-Wright, CEO of the Asia Investor Group on Climate Change and the Investor Group on Climate Change.

Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental, non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and advancing the development of Asian countries.