2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference Will Advance Widespread AI Applications with In-Depth Dialogue on Global Issues

China News Service Beijing, March 18 — (Reporter Chen Hang) Approved by the State Council, the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference will be held in Beijing from the 25th to the 29th. Jin Wei, member of the Beijing Municipal Party Committee and Vice Mayor, announced at the State Council Information Office press conference on the 18th that Beijing is making every effort to prepare for the Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference. All preparations are now complete.

Promoting Widespread Application of Artificial Intelligence

Regarding the specific arrangements for this year’s forum, Jin Wei stated that for major events, the opening ceremony and plenary session will be held on the morning of the 25th, with leaders of the Party and the country attending and delivering speeches. Renowned scientists and entrepreneurs from home and abroad will give speeches on the annual theme during the plenary.

For parallel forums, this forum will host 60 sessions, including 21 new forums such as the Construction and Development of World-Class Scientific Journals and High-Quality Development of the Science and Technology Service Industry, covering fundamental research areas like quantum technology and lunar and planetary space development and utilization.

In major releases, the forum will debut the “2025 Global Engineering Frontiers” and the “International Cooperation Action Plan for Open Science,” as well as unveil a series of significant achievements including the “Top 10 Scientific Advances in China in 2025.”

Regarding technology transactions, over 20 matchmaking activities will be held, with more than 500 domestic and international science and technology projects participating in roadshows, making it the largest number of investment institutions ever registered. At the newly operational Technology Exchange Center, over a hundred technical managers from Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei will be active on-site wearing “blue vests,” serving as matchmakers.

In frontier competitions, the ninth Zhongguancun International Frontier Science and Technology Competition finals will be held. This competition is a true showcase for innovative enterprises, having produced more than 30 “unicorn” companies since its inception. Last year, over 40% of participating teams were from abroad, with AI projects 2.4 times more than the previous year.

Jin Wei said that the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum will promote the broad application of artificial intelligence. Last year’s forum featured highly concentrated robots, giving attendees a deep sense of Beijing’s reputation as the “AI Capital.” This year, participants will experience how AI evolution empowers various industries. For example, AI “translators” will be on duty throughout, expanding language services from Chinese and English to include French, Russian, Spanish, and others, enabling seamless communication among guests from all over the world. Robot cafes will welcome guests, evolving from making coffee alone last year to working together on meal sets this year, and a robot band will also deliver exciting performances.

Focusing More on Global Issues

Lin Xin, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, stated that the Zhongguancun Forum is a national-level platform for global scientific and technological innovation exchange and cooperation, with high attention and active participation from relevant ministries. This year, a total of 29 parallel forums will be hosted or participated in by various departments, including 12 organized or co-organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, such as the World-Class Scientific Journals Forum and the Global High-End Think Tank Forum; there will also be four release events, jointly issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology and Beijing, including the “Support Policy for the Construction of Beijing (Jing-Jin-Ji) International Science and Innovation Center,” the “International Cooperation Action Plan for Open Science,” the “2025 China Scientific Top 10 Progress,” and the “National Natural Science Foundation of China” will release the “Top 10 Scientific Advances in China in 2025.”

Lin Xin said that these forums and activities each have their own characteristics, summarized by “three more”: First, a greater focus on global issues. International organization leaders, winners of international science and technology awards, renowned scientists, and think tank experts will be invited to engage in in-depth dialogue on global topics. For example, the Science and Diplomacy International Forum will explore how scientific cooperation can promote global partnership building. The China-BRICs New Quality of Production Capacity Development Forum will invite representatives from BRICS countries’ science and industry sectors to discuss frontier technology cooperation and cross-border resource allocation. The Science and Women Innovation Forum will invite top female scientists worldwide to showcase women’s contributions and innovative potential in science and technology.

Second, a greater focus on scientific frontiers. For the first time, the National Natural Science Foundation Academic Forum will be held, focusing on cutting-edge directions such as bionic intelligence, the integration of electricity and computing power, high-speed magnetic levitation transportation technology, and more, to explore major scientific questions and promote precise integration of basic scientific research with social and economic development. Forums on marine science and development, fusion energy development, lunar and planetary space utilization, and universal Earth intelligence will share frontier scientific achievements, release major scientific issues, and attract scientists from home and abroad to address global scientific challenges.

Third, a greater emphasis on cultivating new quality of production capacity. Focusing on key areas such as embodied intelligence, brain-computer interfaces, and high-end instruments, these activities will showcase major innovative achievements and promote the transformation of scientific results into new productive forces. For example, the “AI + Industry” forum will focus on scenarios like autonomous driving and industry-specific large models, gathering top scholars and leading enterprises to explore methods and pathways for AI to empower the real economy. The Enterprise Discovery and Invention Forum will focus on industrial science and technology issues, discussing R&D models driven by demand, and building platforms for deep integration of scientific and industrial innovation.