On August 7, 2026, as the preparatory work for the 9th Hongqiao International Economic Forum (hereinafter referred to as the Hongqiao Forum, or HQF) entered the stage of detailed implementation, the HQF Secretariat and the HQF Research Center jointly convened the first organizational meeting for the 9th HQF in Beijing. The meeting was convened to implement the guideline of the plenary session of the InterMinisterial Joint Conference for the 9th China International Import Expo (CIIE), clarify the responsibilities of the lead and coorganizers of each parallel session and other activities, and set forth specific requirements for refining the HQF program and outcome design, speaker invitation, and publicity and media outreach, so as to accelerate the implementation of the HQF activities.

First Organizational Meeting for the 9th HQF

During the meeting, the HQF Secretariat briefed participants on the preparatory progress and the following work arrangements for the 9th HQF, and provided the Guidelines for the Preparation of Parallel Session Activities of the 9th HQF. Representatives from the lead and coorganizing entities of relevant parallel sessions and activities exchange ideas. Song Shangzhe, from the CIIE Bureau and the HQF Secretariat, made a summary.

Representatives from international organizations including UNICEF and UNIDO, officials from relevant departments of the China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Stateowned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), and State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR); delegates from the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce and Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC); as well as HQF members and partners, attended the meeting, with about 60 participants in total.

Extended Reading

HQF is held alongside the CIIE. Under the theme “Stability and Cooperation: Building an Open World Economy Together”, the 9th HQF will feature the Main Forum (the Opening Ceremony of the CIIE and HQF), together with a series of parallel sessions and closed-door meetings organized under “1+4” sections. “1” refers to the “Report Launches and International Symposiums” section, which will feature the Press Conference on World Openness Report 2026 & International Symposium on World Opening-Up, including the release of the latest World Openness Index. It will also introduce, for the first time, the Export-to-China Capacity Development Report, unveiling two flagship reports. In addition, the Chinese edition of the World Trade Report 2026 will be released. “4” refers to the four sections of —Opening-up for Cooperation, Opening-up for Innovation, Opening-up for Development and Opening-up for Sharing, which will focus respectively on “Upholding Multilateralism”, “New Drivers of Technological Advancement”, “Green and Sustainable Globalization”, and “China as a Trustworthy Partner”.