Chinese automakers in Thailand are partnering with local universities and training centers to cultivate the next generation of engineers and technicians specializing in electric vehicles (EVs), promoting the Southeastern Asian country's ambitions to become a regional leader in green mobility.
Nineteen-year-old Kittapart Yensabye is a student at Eastern Technical College in east Thailand's Chonburi Province. Every weekday, he leaves home at 4:30 a.m. for a gruelling two-hour journey across the province to school, where he learns skills that could one day take him far beyond the province's boundaries.
This kind of daily routine reflects a broader shift -- young people in Thailand are being trained to join the automotive industry that is increasingly dependent on electricity. Southeast Asia is accelerating toward the wave of EV revolution, but faces a shortage of skilled talents.
"At first, I thought it was tough. I felt I would be exhausted if I got up early every day to study so far away. But now, I actually want to study. I want to introduce new technologies to my country and apply them to our daily lives, such as electric vehicles, as most people still don't understand them. I want the industry to develop even further," Yensabye told China Global Television Network (CGTN).
For him, the Thailand-China Cooperation Center for Vocational Education is where the dream begins. Chinese EV manufacturers have signed memorandum of understanding with their college to blend classroom learning with real-world training, while also offering student exchange programs and scholarships, preparing the next generation to power Thailand's electric future.
"Our programs with China, the manufacturers themselves came to teach us, from the battery production factory to the car assembly plant. We gain new knowledge and also new teaching materials and methods. Most of our teaching material is in Chinese. We translate them to teach our students," said Jinda Chalood, head of the Electric Vehicle Department at Eastern Technological College.
The agreement came with new tools, new training modules, and the promise of real internships as Chinese EV brands rapidly grow their production bases on the Eastern Seaboard.
Thailand is Southeast Asia's largest EV market, led by Chinese automakers, which accounted for more than 70 percent of Thailand's EV sales this year. Supported by generous incentives, tax breaks, and growing cooperation under China's Belt and Road Initiative, Thailand's transformation from a traditional auto hub to an EV manufacturing powerhouse has been profound.
Chinese automakers help cultivate EV talents in Thailand
Artificial intelligence and robotics, both major topics of discussion at the ongoing Boao Forum this year, are also being widely adopted at the event as ways to improve the service inside and outside the venue.
The BFA Annual Conference 2026 is being held in Boao, south China's Hainan Province. Running from March 24 to 27, this year's conference is themed "Shaping a Shared Future: New Dynamics, New Opportunities, New Cooperation."
A water generator at the venue cools and condenses moisture from the air into water, then filters and sterilizes it. It can also run on solar power for a completely off-grid, zero-carbon operation.
Meanwhile, a special robot barista operates a coffee stand where guests can order a drink with the press of a button, prompting the robotic arm to get to work -- grabbing a cup, brewing, and frothing -- all in one smooth motion.
The venue has also adopted an AI-based management system, which can automatically adjust a range of factors based on current conditions and detect and respond to anomalies when they occur.
These sorts of systems are already being adopted at a wider scale across Hainan.
"This is our operational management center for the zero-carbon demonstration zone. It’s powered by an AI-driven system that manages all energy consumption and carbon emissions. From here, we can remotely control over three thousand devices across the island with a click, including air conditioners and lighting. It's smart management, done remotely," said Zeng Youwen, chief general engineer of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design Hainan Branch.
Outside the venue, some smart equipment is also sharing the workload. On Boao's coastline, a beach-cleaning robot moves along the shore, sweeping up cigarette butts, debris, and coconut shells.
The robots can work before visitors arrive or after sunset, cleaning up to 3,000 square meters of beach per hour. In the water, a diving robot that clears debris and even has emergency rescue capabilities.
These on-site applications of emerging technologies have helped spur discussions at the forum on how the deep integration of technology and industry is gaining momentum as China enters the 15th Five-Year Plan period.
"Industries can only be upgraded by applying the new technologies, by applying AI, by applying other innovative technology, science and technology, there should all be injected into industries. And that's how the industries are going to produce high quality products. And you will have high quality productive forces that will change the lifestyle, the living standard of the Chinese people and the people living beyond," said Sohail Khan, deputy secretary-general of Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
Founded in 2001, the BFA is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.
Robots, AI facilitate guest services at Boao Forum venue
