Medical researchers and AI specialists from ASEAN countries have been invited to participate in China's first national-level medical imaging artificial intelligence competition, according to the organising committee.
The National Medical Insurance Imaging AI Recognition Competition, jointly hosted by China's National Healthcare Security Administration and the government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, opened registration to international teams this year, according to organisers. The invitation follows promotional events in Malaysia in May and Vietnam earlier this month, where local medical institutions and research teams expressed interest in taking part.
The competition covers eight diagnostic tracks focused on cancers including lung cancer, breast cancer, glioma, kidney cancer and thyroid cancer. Participants will work with CT, MRI, CTA, X-ray and ultrasound imaging datasets provided by the organisers, which have undergone anonymisation and privacy protection procedures. The contest is designed around real clinical pathway data to assess the practical value of AI diagnostic tools.
Format and timeline
The competition runs from August to October 2026. The preliminary round will be held online from August 1 to September 30, during which teams can conduct model training on a unified cloud platform. Shortlisted teams will then present in person in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi, in mid-October. Registration closes at midnight on July 15, and teams can sign up through the competition's official website free of charge.
According to organisers, award-winning projects will receive priority review for Class II medical device classification in China, while key-core-technology industrialisation projects may receive up to 20 million yuan (approximately US$2.8 million) in support funding.
Guangxi's role
Guangxi borders Vietnam and hosts the annual China-ASEAN Expo in Nanning. The region has positioned itself as a hub for China-ASEAN cooperation in digital health and artificial intelligence. It is home to the China-ASEAN Information Harbour and the Fangchenggang International Medical Opening-up Pilot Zone, and has been approved for cross-border data flow pilot programmes.
Organisers said Guangxi plans to allocate 45 billion yuan over the next three years to support AI-driven productivity initiatives, and has established a 10-billion-yuan AI industry fund. Two national-level AI cooperation centres have been approved for the region.
Regional significance
The competition is the latest example of China's efforts to standardise and commercialise AI applications in healthcare. For ASEAN countries, where medical imaging AI adoption varies considerably by market, organisers say participation will give teams access to reviewed and annotated imaging datasets that are often difficult to obtain outside major hospital networks. Organisers say winning projects may receive priority review for Class II medical device classification in China, which could interest Southeast Asian AI and health-tech teams.
At the Vietnam promotional event in Hanoi, representatives from Vietnamese government health and science departments attended, alongside local medical institutions. In Malaysia, several universities and medical enterprises said they planned to organise teams, according to the organising committee.
Sources: ANTARA / Xinhua-AsiaNet, National Medical Insurance Imaging AI Recognition Competition Organising Committee, China Daily.
