Commentary: 2026 Zhongguancun Forum | Promoting the Deep Integration of Technological Innovation and Industrial Innovation

Spring tides surge in Beijing, and the time is right for scientific and technological innovation. From March 25 to 29, the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting arrives as scheduled, gathering thousands of guests from over 100 countries and regions to explore the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation through more than a hundred forum activities, consolidating new momentum for global development and building a new pattern of win-win technological cooperation.

This photo was taken on March 25 at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting. Xinhua News Agency reporter Jin Liwang captured it.

Coinciding with a critical juncture at the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, this year’s Zhongguancun Forum holds extraordinary significance. The 14th Five-Year Plan represents a key phase in China’s comprehensive construction of a modern socialist country, facing increasingly fierce global technological competition and rapidly evolving industrial changes. Breaking through core technology bottlenecks, cultivating and expanding new productive forces, and promoting the industrial ascent to the mid-to-high end of the global value chain have become core issues for development. Only by unblocking the channels for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and achieving dual empowerment of technological innovation and industrial innovation can we continuously inject momentum into high-quality development. The forum closely aligns with the theme of the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, echoing national strategic directions and responding to the era’s demands for technological self-reliance and strength, thereby outlining a clear blueprint for their deep integration.

As the source and pioneering area of China’s technological innovation, Zhongguancun has built an irreplaceable innovation ecosystem through decades of accumulation. This area gathers top universities, research institutions, and a vast number of high-tech enterprises, forming a complete chain from basic research and technological breakthroughs to achievement transformation and industrial implementation. This year’s forum features numerous highlights, with cutting-edge results from future industries such as humanoid robots prominently showcased. Sixty special events cover hot topics in global technology governance and basic research, with 21 activities held for the first time and 14 topics focusing on cutting-edge basic research like quantum technology and lunar space development. At the same time, the forum has achieved multiple breakthroughs, including the first National Natural Science Foundation Academic Forum, the establishment of a forum for the high-quality development of the technology service industry, and the first release of the “2025 Annual Development Report on the Technology Service Industry,” which interprets the “Guidelines for the Construction of the Technology Service Industry Standard System (2025 Edition)” and showcases the phased achievements of the development of China’s technology service industry.

Taking the lead in the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, Zhongguancun demonstrates its strength as the capital’s responsibility. As the core carrier of Beijing’s technological innovation, the forum fully showcases the advantages of the artificial intelligence industry: AI “translators” ensure barrier-free communication, robotic dining bars and robotic bands take turns to perform, highlighting the technological charm of Beijing as the “First City of Artificial Intelligence.” The forum, based on a global perspective, focuses on technological frontiers and delves into new productive forces, continuously attracting top global scientific and technological resources and industrial projects to land, promoting local innovation achievements to the world, and building an international hub for scientific and technological cooperation. At the same time, it aids in the construction of the Beijing (Jing-Jin-Ji) International Science and Technology Innovation Center, providing replicable and promotable “Zhongguancun experience” for the in-depth integration of national technological and industrial innovation, safeguarding the high-quality development of the 14th Five-Year Plan with a pioneering demonstration approach.

From the past “Electronics Street” to today’s global scientific and technological innovation highland, Zhongguancun has always resonated with the national innovation development. The 2026 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Meeting, a global feast of technological innovation, is not only a “summit appointment” for the collision of wisdom but also a prelude to future cooperation. Standing at the new starting point of the 14th Five-Year Plan, Zhongguancun will continue to bravely stand at the forefront, daring to lead, deeply cultivating the path of integration between technological innovation and industrial innovation, continuously releasing innovative momentum, cultivating new highlights in industries, and writing a new “Beijing” chapter of deep integration between technological innovation and industrial innovation in the new era, injecting strong momentum into China’s pursuit of technological self-reliance and strength, cultivating new productive forces, and promoting high-quality development, allowing the flowers of technological innovation in the capital to bloom brilliantly on the new journey.

Author: Yin Jianguang

Author’s affiliation: Hebei Jizhou Vocational Education Center

Editor: Wu Chengling

Proofreader: Zhang Muqi

Reviewer: Yu Chuan, Zhang Lingjie