On July 27, marking the 100‑day countdown to the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE) and the Hongqiao International Economic Forum, an event for releasing and interpreting the themes and topics of the 9th Hongqiao Forum was successfully held. The event was sponsored by the Secretariat of the Hongqiao Forum, undertaken by the Hongqiao Forum Research Center, and supported by Bank of China.

Song Shangzhe from the CIIE Bureau and the Secretariat of the Hongqiao Forum noted in his address that this year marks the start of the 15th Five‑Year Plan period. Successfully hosting the 9th CIIE and the Hongqiao Forum carries special significance. The 9th Hongqiao Forum will uphold its positioning of advancing global opening‑up and improving global economic governance, function as an international public good, and strive to enhance the quality and efficiency of forum sessions.

In a video address, Stephen Jackson, UN Resident Coordinator in China, stated that China has delivered tangible contributions to improving global economic governance and achieving inclusive development by boosting trade, investment cooperation, scientific‑technological innovation and connectivity.

Guo Zhihui, Head of the Hongqiao Forum Research Center and Deputy Director‑General of the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, unveiled the theme of the 9th Hongqiao Forum and topic directions for its sub‑forums.

The theme of the 9th Hongqiao Forum is “Steadfast Cooperation for Building an Open‑Oriented World Economy”. Sub‑forums and closed‑door sessions will follow the “1+4” framework. The “1” refers to the Report Release and International Seminar, which will launch the World Openness Report 2026 together with the latest World Openness Index, debut the Report on China’s Export Capacity Development to form two flagship reports, and release the Chinese version of the World Trade Report 2026.

The “4” stands for four segments: Openness and Cooperation, Openness‑Driven Innovation, Openness for Development, and Openness for Shared Benefits. The Openness and Cooperation segment centers on “upholding multilateralism”, highlights practical dimensions of opening‑up, promotes reform of the global governance system, and covers trade cooperation as well as industrial and supply‑chain collaboration. The Openness‑Driven Innovation segment focuses on “new drivers of science and technology”, emphasizes the driving‑force dimension of opening‑up, fosters deep integration of scientific‑technological and industrial innovation, and addresses digital‑intelligent innovation and industrial empowerment. The Openness for Development segment targets “green and sustainable globalization”, underscores the goal‑oriented dimension of opening‑up, pursues sounder development, and discusses green growth, globalization and transformation‑driven upgrading. The Openness for Shared Benefits segment revolves around “trustworthy China”, stresses the value dimension of opening‑up, enables China’s development to deliver greater benefits to the world, and includes market opportunities, opening‑up practices and government‑business dialogues.

Source: Shanghai Securities News