Along the Mekong River, a young Vietnamese operator uses a Chinese smart drone to provide precision agricultural services for local farmers. In a single flight, a simple drone connects Chinese tech, Vietnamese farmland, and regional markets. Li Haitao, dean of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, describes this powerful example of AI-driven cooperation in the Asia-Pacific as a “multiplication effect.” By empowering people on the ground, technology turns a broader vision of regional cooperation into tangible benefits for local communities.