QINGDAO, China, June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 7th Qingdao Multinationals Summit (QMS), co-hosted by the Shandong Provincial People’s Government and the Ministry of Commerce, was held in Qingdao, a coastal city in east China’s Shandong Province, from June 15 to 17. With the theme “Joining Hands for the 15th Five-Year Plan: Toward a New and Shared Future”, this summit sent a resounding message of China’s unwavering commitment to high-standard opening-up. The grand event drew 357 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders from 44 countries and regions to Qingdao.
A total of 57 projects were signed at the summit. Among them, 20 foreign-funded projects totaling $2.56 billion in investment; 9 foreign trade projects with $1.68 billion in total import and export value; 2 foreign economic cooperation projects worth $44 million; 15 modern services projects at 6.65 billion yuan; and 8 domestic-funded projects at 6.87 billion yuan. Three additional landmark projects were also signed, spanning green low-carbon development, modern commerce and the digital economy, with partners from the Republic of Korea, France, the UK, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mexico and China’s Hong Kong SAR.
The event comprises three main segments, featuring a total of 29 supporting events. It presents three core characteristics:
First, it focused on driving a precise layout of industrial tracks. For the first time, the summit hosted specialized forums and matchmaking events covering future industries, new energy storage, new energy vehicles, marine technology, smart agriculture, and green chemicals. These initiatives promote the deep integration of cutting-edge technologies with the real economy, providing a precise matchmaking platform for multinational corporations to participate in China’s development of new quality productive forces.
Second, it focused on driving the multi-dimensional expansion of the opening-up landscape. While hosting specialized conferences for traditional markets such as South Korea, Germany, and ASEAN to consolidate the foundation of cooperation, the summit also held the inaugural Türkiye Exchange Day, Kyrgyzstan Enterprise Cooperation Dialogue, “Global South” Economic and Trade Cooperation Dialogue, and International Mineral Resources Matchmaking Conference. These initiatives serve the national strategy of ensuring energy and resource security and enhancing the resilience of industrial and supply chains, thereby building a diversified and stable network of open cooperation.
Third, it focused on driving the continuous amplification of the summit’s impact. Leveraging its platform advantage of being “rooted in Shandong and serving the whole country,” the event invited the guest province of Sichuan to showcase its industrial opportunities and business environment. This attracted commerce authorities from 18 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, promoting cross-regional industrial synergy. Furthermore, the inaugural matchmaking conference for capital investment attraction by central and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) was held to link national resources with the needs of multinational corporations, contributing Shandong’s strength to the broader national opening-up landscape.
Seven years of steady development have positioned the Qingdao Multinationals Summit as a benchmark for win-win collaboration between multinationals, China and Shandong. As the 15th Five-Year Plan cycle begins, an open, stable, and dynamic China is poised to work with global enterprises to embark on a new journey of future-oriented innovation.
