By Sharon Hu, 21st Century Business Herald, SFC

“China's designation of openness, innovation and cooperation as the priorities for this year's APEC meetings could not be more timely.” Hazami Habib, CEO of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, made the remarks in an interview with 21st Century Business Herald reporters.

She noted that China, under the banner of an open innovation ecosystem, has rallied APEC economies to work together to find solutions to regional challenges faced by all members, including food security and people's livelihood and health issues.

During the PPSTI Open Science Seminar held on the sidelines of the APEC First Senior Officials' Meeting, Habib said China has played a leading role in promoting scientific and technological innovation cooperation among APEC economies. When asked about Chinese AI platforms, Habib shared that she has used DeepSeek for research purposes, finding it extremely fast and convenient.

She emphasized that the open innovation power represented by Chinese AI platforms has broken the technological monopoly of Western countries.

"For a long time, most AI platforms have been largely developed by Western countries. The emergence of platforms like DeepSeek proves that China is also capable of developing its own AI platforms and showcases a more diverse and inclusive platform ecosystem."

From the perspective of security and safeguards, Habib believes that having multiple optional AI platforms is absolutely beneficial. "After witnessing China's development of indigenous artificial intelligence and digital platforms, I have a full understanding of technological inclusivity."

"China, with its vast territory and numerous provinces, has managed to unite its strengths to advance scientific and technological innovation toward a shared goal."

Habib also hopes to gain an in-depth understanding of China's innovation ecosystem development model through the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting and explore how a similar system can be implemented in Malaysia.

She shared the people-to-people exchange cooperation program launched by the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and Chinese scientific research institutions, under which researchers from both sides are dispatched to each other's countries for six-month training sessions. In addition, the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the Chinese Academy of Sciences regularly hold biennial workshops to discuss cooperation in relevant fields.