2026 North Bund Forum opens in Shanghai, focusing on resilient global shipping

The 2026 North Bund Forum opened in Shanghai on Tuesday, drawing about 4,000 participants from over 50 countries and regions to discuss global shipping governance and resilient shipping and aviation development. The two-day event is themed “Common Challenge, Shared Mission — Promoting the Resilient Development of Global Shipping & Aviation.” The opening ceremony drew about 200 overseas guests, a record for the forum. A total of 20 outcomes were released at the opening ceremony, including eight government initiatives and 12 achievements in green transition and high-end shipping services. More than 60 outcomes will be released over the course of the forum, the most in its history. At the forum, Hong Kong and Shanghai signed a strategic cooperation on high-quality collaborative maritime development to help shipowners with low-carbon transition costs and stabilize global shipping capacity. Coordination of shipping rules and stable market expectations are crucial to safeguarding the lifeline of global trade. The North Bund Forum provides a platform for the industry to jointly discuss rules. More than 60 related activities are being held alongside the forum, including Shanghai Pudong International Shipping Week and the Global Maritime Forum Annual Summit. The North Bund Forum has been co-hosted by Shanghai and the Ministry of Transport since 2021. It is China’s highest-level international shipping industry conference and has become an annual benchmark event for the global shipping sector.