The 2026 Shandong International Trade and Investment Advisors Roundtable convened in Jinan on July 7 to discuss strategies for deepening institutional opening-up and promoting green, high-quality development. Organized by the Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shandong Sub-council (CCPIT Shandong), the event gathered international advisors and representatives from over 10 countries and regions. Key discussion topics included AI-empowered high-level openness, digital transformation of industrial chains, and the improvement of the business environment.

Shandong's 15th Five-Year Plan was a focal point, highlighting the province's strategy to build four trillion-yuan-level emerging pillar industries. These sectors include high-end equipment, information technology services, new energy, and new materials. Additionally, the plan targets the cultivation of four hundred-billion-yuan-level potential industries in artificial intelligence, biomedicine, new energy vehicles, and aerospace and the low-altitude economy. Forward-looking plans for future industries such as quantum information and biotechnology are also being developed.

Representatives from multinational companies, including DSM-Firmenich, Siemens, AbbVie, Philips, KPMG, and Veolia, provided recommendations on integrating AI with advanced manufacturing and transforming traditional industries. The Jinan Smart Zero-Carbon Factory, a collaboration between Siemens and Rock Morrison, was recognized as Shandong's first pilot "zero-carbon factory" under provincial standards. Officials from the Foreign Affairs Office of Shandong Provincial People's Government responded to the advisors' proposals on-site.

Positioned at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative, Shandong is aligning with high-standard international trade rules to expand into emerging markets in Central Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. Advisors expressed confidence in the region's development potential and called for deeper cooperation with partners from Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and ASEAN countries. Concurrently, the "Shandong City Tour" series was launched, with representatives traveling to Yantai and Weihai for business matchmaking.

Established in December 2021, the Shandong International Trade and Investment Advisors mechanism has appointed 26 prominent figures from the international business community. Over the past five years, these advisors have submitted nearly 80 reports, solidifying the roundtable's role as a platform for expanding Shandong's global partner network.