The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional intergovernmental organization established on August 8, 1967, in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by five founding members: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The bloc expanded over subsequent decades, with Brunei Darussalam joining in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Myanmar in 1997, Cambodia in 1999, and Timor-Leste on October 25, 2025, bringing total membership to eleven states. ASEAN’s mandate spans economic integration, political-security cooperation, and sociocultural development across Southeast Asia. Its secretariat is based in Jakarta, Indonesia. In the context of China engagement, ASEAN has emerged as a key arena for Beijing’s media, technology, and AI diplomacy, including through bilateral trade frameworks such as the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and cooperative mechanisms covering digital infrastructure, AI governance, and cross-border data flows. In recent years, ASEAN and China have also moved to deepen media exchanges, part of a broader effort to strengthen people-to-people ties and shape shared narratives across the region.