In the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan," a vibrant new landscape of innovative development in the plastics and rubber industry is about to unfold at "CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition." The proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan call for cultivating and expanding emerging and future industries, expanding high-level opening-up, and adhering to the directions of intelligent, green, and integrated development. This not only unlocks vast space for the high-quality development of the plastics and rubber industry but also anchors precise focal points for the exhibition.

As an important trade and technology exchange platform showcasing the achievements of new quality productive forces in plastics and rubber, connecting supply and demand, and promoting industrial collaboration, "CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition" will debut on an ultra-large scale of over 390,000 square meters, serving as a "real-world laboratory" for policy implementation and an important window for observing industry trends and technology directions. Under the theme "Transformation · Collaboration · Co-shaping Sustainability," the exhibition is scheduled to take place from April 21–24, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Hongqiao), Shanghai, helping the industry seize new opportunities amid the transformations of the times.

Emerging Industries Accelerate Their Rise, Plastics and Rubber Industry Expands into New Blue Oceans of Growth

The proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly call for cultivating and expanding emerging and future industries, accelerating the development of strategic emerging industry clusters such as new energy, new materials, aerospace, and low-altitude economy, and promoting quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion energy, brain-computer interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth-generation mobile communications as new economic growth points. The rise of emerging fields continuously broadens the application boundaries of plastics and rubber materials, while also opening up new growth space for the plastics and rubber industry — an important foundation of manufacturing.

In 2025, China's new energy vehicle production and sales reached 16.626 million and 16.49 million units respectively, up 29% and 28.2% year-on-year, ranking first globally for 11 consecutive years. New-generation material solutions around batteries, charging piles, and electric drive systems continue to emerge. Rianlon's polymer antioxidant and other technologies effectively extend the service life of battery systems and charging equipment in extreme environments. DOMO's high-purity engineering plastic material TECHNYL® PURE, with excellent electrical insulation and chemical corrosion resistance, is suited for high-voltage electrical environments.

Rising into the skies, a trillion-yuan journey sets sail. In 2026, the low-altitude economy is entering a triple explosion period of policy, technology, and demand. From low-altitude logistics and cultural tourism to emergency rescue and disaster relief, the "low-altitude +" integration effect is prominent. Plastics and composite materials have become one of the strategically valuable materials for low-altitude aircraft. Covestro's high-CTI polycarbonate provides reliable performance and safety in harsh electrical environments, ensuring stable operation of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Kingfa's KingPan® flame-retardant composite board, with high glass fiber content and V-0 flame retardancy, withstands 1,200°C fire, burns continuously for 30 minutes, and boasts the strong advantages of no dripping and self-extinguishing within 10 seconds of removal from fire, making it suitable for low-altitude aircraft components.

The explosive growth of commercial aerospace has spawned enormous demand for materials and equipment. As of December 2025, China has filed with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for the deployment of ultra-large-scale satellite constellations totaling over 200,000 satellites, marking that China's low-orbit satellite internet construction has entered a substantive acceleration period. "Lightweight yet high-strength" carbon fiber-reinforced nylon composites have become an innovative choice for satellite brackets; PEEK and PEKK, with excellent high-temperature resistance, radiation resistance, and chemical corrosion resistance, can be applied to satellite structural components, cable insulation layers, and engine seals; phenolic resin, due to its high char yield and good processability, can be used in commercial solid rocket nozzles; LCP, with its low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and excellent high-temperature resistance, has joined the ranks of important materials for satellite high-frequency communication components. Shisuoke's lightweight composite materials can replace aerospace structural metals; its prepregs and MTM46 epoxy resin system are specifically developed for extreme environments, with rigidity, impact resistance, and thermal performance superior to metals. Manufacturing payload fairings with this material reduces weight by approximately 30% compared to metal, significantly lowering launch fuel consumption, increasing payload capacity, and reducing manufacturing costs.

2025 marks the first year of mass production for humanoid robots, and 2026 will enter a critical turning point of scaled-up volume and accelerated commercialization. Humanoid robots are accelerating their transformation from "moving on stage" and "running in competitions" to "being used at home" and "working in factories." IDC predicts that China's embodied intelligence robot user spending will exceed USD 1.4 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 94% over the next five years. In this blue ocean, breakthroughs in materials technology are the core support for the scaled deployment of robots, and plastics and rubber materials are indispensable key materials. Special engineering plastics such as PEEK and PPS, with their advantages of high strength, low density, wear resistance, and self-lubrication, show an increasingly obvious trend of replacing metal materials in robot joints, gears, bearings, and other components. TPE is suitable for flexible components such as artificial muscles and artificial skin. Lushan New Materials has launched a new generation of ion-free temperature-pressure dual-modal electronic skin products that can precisely capture minuscule force sensations such as light touch and pulse. Dawn Group's ultra-soft artificial muscle TPE, with a Shore hardness of up to 0A, features ultra-softness, excellent elasticity, and a dry, non-greasy surface, and can be used in core components such as robot joint drives.

"CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition" brings together over 4,600 high-quality global exhibitors, actively responding to market demand, centrally showcasing more cutting-edge technologies, richer application scenarios, and stronger industrial vitality, and efficiently connecting with traditional industry upgrading, emerging industry expansion, and future industry layout.

Intelligent Upgrading and Green Transformation: Planning Blueprint Translates into Industrial Reality

The proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan put forward "comprehensively implementing the 'AI+' action" and "seizing the commanding heights of AI industrial applications, empowering all industries in all dimensions." At the start of 2026, multiple policy measures were introduced in succession, with various regions accelerating the integrated innovation of "AI + Manufacturing." From collaborative upgrading of industrial chains to precise empowerment of small and medium-sized enterprises, AI technology is being fully integrated into all segments of manufacturing.

Addressing the pain points of low efficiency and low fault tolerance in traditional manual quality inspection, AI can not only precisely capture micron-level defects but also continuously learn and iterate inspection standards, leaving no flaw undetected. Good-View's high-speed quality inspection system, to be exhibited at "CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition," is based on advanced vision technology combining traditional algorithms with AI algorithms, used for real-time quality monitoring and defect recognition on high-speed production lines, capable of completing comprehensive product quality assessment in milliseconds. Xiamen Jina Intelligent's AI valve bag visual inspection system uses AI vision technology to achieve defect detection and rejection during valve bag production, real-time capturing various defects in coil material feeding and bag-making processes, reducing labor costs and work intensity, and improving product quality stability. AI technology goes deeper into the production front end, equipping machines with "brains" and letting "large models" work in factories. ENGEL has launched inject AI, whose AI-powered iQ process observer system can automatically analyze over 1,000 parameters in real time, precisely identify production deviations, and provide specific optimization suggestions.

The proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly state "accelerating the comprehensive green transition of economic and social development." As an important component of manufacturing, the plastics and rubber industry is driving green circular development through technological innovation, building an infinite circular ecosystem of "production – use – recycling – regeneration," turning "waste" into a "new starting point" for the circular economy. BASF, in collaboration with Porsche and Bester, completed the world's first end-of-life vehicle mixed waste recycling pilot, using gasification technology for the first time to process complex residues from vehicle dismantling (including plastics, films, paints, and foams, which were previously mostly treated through thermal recovery). The raw materials recovered using the mass balance method (syngas and its derivatives) replaced fossil raw materials in BASF's integrated value chain, producing the polyurethane formulation needed for automotive steering wheels, achieving a complete closed loop of "scrapped vehicle parts → raw materials → new vehicle parts." Purui has tailored three "rebirth solutions" for different plastic wastes — glycolysis, microwave alcoholysis, and solvent methods; targeting PET, PP, PE, and composite and dyed plastics respectively, establishing a complete and efficient chemical recycling system to achieve the conversion from waste plastics to high-quality recycled raw materials.

Recycled plastics, bio-based materials, biodegradable plastics, recycling technology, digital technology, and high-efficiency energy-saving production equipment will become highlights of the exhibition. "CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition" will, through live demonstrations, bring the intelligent and green future outlined in the 15th Five-Year Plan into reality.

Expanding High-Level Opening-Up, the Value of the Global Plastics and Rubber Reception Hall Becomes Prominent

2026 is the opening year of the "15th Five-Year Plan" and a critical year for China to continuously demonstrate resilience and vitality amid a complex international economic environment. The proposals for the 15th Five-Year Plan make arrangements for "expanding high-level opening-up," proposing to "expand space for two-way investment cooperation" and "guide the rational and orderly cross-border layout of industrial and supply chains." Currently, Chinese enterprises have moved from a new stage of "products going global" to "industrial chains going global" and "ecosystems going global." BYD is building a factory in Hungary; SAIC Motor has partnered with a local Turkish company to establish a manufacturing plant; CATL's third European battery factory is set up in Spain; Kingfa has achieved large-scale production in Vietnam and Spain, and is actively advancing overseas base construction in Poland, Mexico, South Africa, and other locations; and Yizumi has established subsidiaries in 12 countries and regions including Germany, the United States, India, Turkey, and Mexico. As of the end of 2025, China has established over 50,000 enterprises overseas, spanning 190 countries and regions.

While Chinese enterprises accelerate "going global" to explore overseas incremental markets, foreign-funded enterprises continue to increase their investment in the Chinese market. In 2025, China's actual use of foreign capital reached RMB 747.69 billion, with 70,392 newly established foreign-invested enterprises, up 19.1% year-on-year. France's FORVIA Group increased capital and expanded production in Changshu, Jiangsu; BASF's Zhanjiang integrated base's ethylene complex with an annual capacity of 1 million tons came into operation; and Covestro's new thermoplastic polyurethane production base in Zhuhai was inaugurated.

Under the two-way pattern of "going global" and "bringing in," the hub value of international trade platforms has become increasingly prominent. As a core载体 for face-to-face technology exchange and trade matchmaking, exhibitions can effectively break information barriers, build industry consensus, and strengthen collaborative innovation. The communication bridge built by "CHINAPLAS International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition" not only provides physical channels for Chinese enterprises to connect with overseas markets and adapt to regional needs, but also opens a window for overseas enterprises to gain insight into China's manufacturing strength and innovation capability. After years of accumulation, the exhibition has gathered strong appeal among global exhibitors and buyers, becoming a global reception hall for the plastics and rubber industry, continuously attracting exhibitors and buyers from around the world.

Currently, global trade still faces uncertainties. China's plastics and rubber industry builds competitive advantages through "high-quality innovation." Overseas buyers not only seek products with comprehensive cost-effectiveness but also actively procure cutting-edge technologies such as China's intelligent equipment and green materials, leveraging China's strong manufacturing and innovation capabilities to seize first-mover advantages in the global market. This edition of the exhibition will become a core window for the global plastics and rubber industry to "connect with Chinese innovation."