By Zhang Jixing
The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century at an accelerating pace. Geopolitical conflicts and regional wars continue to erupt, while unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise, severely disrupting the international order. At the same time, the global economy is losing momentum, and uncertainties and destabilizing factors affecting global supply chains are increasing.
According to a report released by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development in June 2026, global economic growth is expected to slow down from 3.4 percent in 2025 to 2.8 percent in 2026. Research from the World Economic Forum identifies armed interstate conflicts, geoeconomic confrontations, and extreme weather events as the world’s three most significant risks at present.
The more turbulent the global environment, the greater the need for collective action. More than ever, countries must strengthen solidarity and cooperation, overcome divisions through openness and inclusiveness, and approach the shared future of humanity with a broad perspective. The international community should work together to enhance the resilience and stability of global supply chains, choosing to “join hands” rather than “let go,” and to extend supply chains rather than sever them.
China has consistently been a key participant and active contributor to global industrial and supply chains. It remains firmly committed to preserving the public-good nature of these supply chains and has taken concrete steps to deepen international cooperation, making global supply chains more secure, efficient, inclusive, and mutually beneficial.
On one hand, China has actively promoted openness and cooperation in supply chains, adhering to the principles of openness and inclusiveness and sharing the development opportunities it has created with the world.
As the world’s first national-level exhibition dedicated to supply chains, the China International Supply Chain Expo, since its launch in 2023, focuses on strengthening connections between upstream, midstream and downstream industries. It fosters collaboration among large, medium, and small enterprises, promotes coordination among businesses, universities, research institutions, and end uses, and encourages interaction between Chinese and foreign companies. The expo has become a major international trade event and a global public good shared by the international community.
At the fourth edition of the expo, the number of participating organizations increased from 515 at the inaugural event to 676. Both the number of countries represented and the proportion of overseas exhibitors continued to increase, while the number of international visiting delegations grew significantly. Channels for international industrial and supply chain cooperation have expanded, and the expo’s global influence has steadily strengthened.
On the other hand, China has continued to enhance the core competitiveness of its industries and supply high-quality products and services to global markets.
Leveraging its technological strengths in areas such as next-generation information technology, new energy and green manufacturing, China is accelerating its efforts to become a global hub for scientific and technological innovation. It is also enhancing industrial cooperation with more countries, helping global supply chains improve in both quality and efficiency.
By the end of 2025, the value added of China’s core digital economy industries had risen to more than 10.5 percent of its GDP. Meanwhile, China’s research and applications in fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum technology rank among the world’s leaders, providing sustained momentum for global economic growth.
The Global Supply Chain Resilience Index Matrix, released during the fourth China International Supply Chain Expo, indicates that the overall operating environment for global supply chains has become increasingly stable, with positive factors continuing to dominate.
Between 2018 and 2025, the indices for global supply chain promotion, connectivity, innovation and resilience all registered growth, rising from a base value of 1 to 2.839, 1.657, 2.565 and 1.249, respectively. Their compound annual growth rates reached 16.07 percent, 7.48 percent, 14.40 percent and 3.23 percent, demonstrating that global supply chains are evolving toward greater resilience, higher efficiency and stronger dynamism.
Despite mounting challenges, openness and cooperation remain the defining trend of our time, and mutual benefit and win-win outcomes continue to represent the mainstream. Countries should stand together to safeguard the stability and smooth functioning of global supply chains and continue deepening practical cooperation.
(Zhang Jixing is head of the international trade research department and an associate research fellow at the Academy of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.)