The 19th China-ASEAN Expo opens on Friday in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. WU ZHIYONG/FOR CHINA DAILY

Thirty-two projects worth over 10 billion yuan ($1.43 billion) were inked at the fifth China-ASEAN Information Harbor Forum, which was held Friday in Nanning, capital of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The projects, covering a variety of fields such as digital economy, cross-border trade and Internet of Things, will help promote both the construction of a China-ASEAN information port and the region's digital economy.

According to the organizers, enterprises which signed deals come from various countries including Cambodia, Singapore and Vietnam, as well as provincial-level regions in China such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong.

Attended by about 200 government officials, business leaders and experts, the forum focused on topics including 5G applications, artificial intelligence and metaverse.