(Yicai Global) Aug. 10 -- Some 300 companies, universities and research institutes from China and ASEAN member countries formed the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Industry Alliance, aimed at promoting the development of the regional information industry, at the China-ASEAN Information Harbor Industry Alliance Conference held in China's southern province of Guangxi on Aug. 8.

Group members come from the internet, information technology and logistics sectors, and include the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, Huawei Technologies Co., ZTE Corp. [SHE:000063], US-based Qualcomm Inc. [NASDAQ:QCOM] and Guangxi North Bay Investment Group.

China-ASEAN Information Harbor is a flagship project related to the Belt and Road Initiative that focuses on infrastructure, technological cooperation, trade services, information sharing and people-to-people exchanges.

The project aims to speed up the construction of an international sea cable landing station, communication links and cloud computing centers in order to help establish an information communications hub between China and ASEAN countries with Guangxi at the center, said Zhang Xiaoqin, vice chairman of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region government.

The CAIH, which led the founding of the group, is a platform-type information technology company with a number of investors and market-based operations. Established with approval from the State Council, China's cabinet, it is dedicated to the operation and construction of China-ASEAN Information Harbor.

Since its founding last year, CAIH has built businesses in a number of industries, inked cooperation agreements with three southern Chinese cities, Guilin, Beihai and Wuzhou, and formed partnerships with companies in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand and Cambodia, said Lu Dongliang, CAIH chairman.