2026 Belt and Road Forum for International Think Tank Cooperation and the 4th Silk Road (Xi’an) Inte

 

More than 300 diplomats, think tank experts, journalists, cultural and tourism specialists, and business representatives from over 50 countries and regions gathered in Xi’an to conduct in-depth exchanges on think-tank collaboration, international communication, trade connectivity and people-to-people exchanges.

 

Zhao Gang, Governor of Shaanxi Province, and Lyu Yansong, Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency, delivered addresses at the opening ceremony. Ren Weidong, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua News Agency, attended the ceremony. Sun Daguang, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Director of the Publicity Department of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee, presided over the opening session. Hao Huijie, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and Secretary of the CPC Xi’an Municipal Committee, gave a keynote introduction. Wu Guosheng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Xi’an Jiaotong University, spoke at the event.

 

Zhao Gang stated that Shaanxi holds a special mission in serving the national strategy of opening up toward the west. In recent years, Shaanxi has deeply integrated into the Belt and Road framework, striving to build an inland highland of reform and opening-up. Its international transport hubs have been upgraded, trade and economic cooperation have achieved steady progress, cultural exchanges have flourished, and new strengths for opening-up are rapidly taking shape. Shaanxi stands ready to work with all partners to carry out joint research on key issues of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, unlock cooperation potential in economy, industry, technology and culture, and jointly create a new chapter of win-win development.

 

Lyu Yansong noted that over more than a decade, the Belt and Road Initiative has evolved from a vision into tangible cooperation projects, boosting friendship between China and partner countries and promoting their economic and social progress. As the lead initiator of the Belt and Road Studies Network, Xinhua will work together with domestic and international partners to further interpret the philosophy of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, showcase fruitful achievements in modernization and inter-civilization exchanges, and gather strong momentum for the Initiative.

 

At the opening ceremony, four new institutions joined the Belt and Road Studies Network: the BRICS International Forum, Xi’an Jiaotong University, the Manas National Academy of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Development Strategy Centre of Uzbekistan. The “Central Asia Smart Insight” integrated information service platform, jointly built by Xinhua and Shaanxi Province, was officially launched to support industrial coordination and practical China-Central Asia cooperation with digital tools. On the same day, the bilingual think tank report Jointly Building the Belt and Road to Promote an Open World Economy was released globally at the conference.

 

The conference coincides with the countdown to the 13th Belt and Road International Day (Silk Road Festival). It serves as a vital platform for dialogue among think tanks, media and industries, consolidating theoretical foundations through research and telling Silk Road stories via international communication. Multiple thematic sessions will be held to discuss industrial chain connectivity, green development, digital Silk Road and cross-cultural communication, facilitating mutual learning between civilizations and injecting new vitality into global open cooperation.