SHANGHAI, Feb. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, a vibrant new vision for innovation and development in the rubber and plastics industry is poised to unfold at CHINAPLAS 2026, the International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition. The proposed 15th Five-Year Plan emphasizes fostering and expanding emerging and future industries, further opening up to high-standard international engagement, and steadfastly pursuing intelligent, green, and integrated development—actions that not only create vast opportunities for the high-quality growth of the rubber and plastics sector but also enable the exhibition to pinpoint its strategic priorities and deliver targeted value.

As a premier trade and technology exchange platform for showcasing the latest advances in rubber and plastics productivity, bridging supply and demand, and fostering industry collaboration, CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition will be held on an unprecedented scale of over 390,000 square meters, serving as a “real-world laboratory” for translating policy into practice and a critical vantage point for gaining insight into industry trends and technological directions. With the theme “Transformation, Collaboration, and Co-creating Sustainability,” the event is scheduled for April 21–24, 2026, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Hongqiao, helping the industry seize new opportunities amid the transformative currents of our time.

“CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition” will cover an exhibition area of over 390,000 square meters and is scheduled to take place from April 21 to 24 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Hongqiao.

         Emerging industries are accelerating their rise, opening up new growth opportunities for the rubber and plastics sector.

The proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan explicitly calls for fostering and expanding emerging and future industries, accelerating the development of strategic emerging industry clusters in areas such as new energy, new materials, aerospace, and the low-altitude economy, and promoting quantum technology, biomanufacturing, hydrogen and fusion energy, brain–machine interfaces, embodied intelligence, and sixth-generation mobile communications as new drivers of economic growth. The rise of these emerging fields is continuously broadening the application horizons of rubber and plastic materials, while also opening up new avenues for growth in the rubber and plastics industry—a critical foundational sector within manufacturing.

In 2025, China’s production and sales of new-energy vehicles reached 16.626 million units and 16.490 million units, respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 29% and 28.2%, respectively, marking the 11th consecutive year that China has ranked first globally. A steady stream of next-generation material solutions for batteries, charging stations, and electric-drive systems is emerging. Liannong’s polymer antioxidants and other technologies effectively extend the service life of battery systems and charging equipment under extreme environmental conditions. Meanwhile, Daomo’s high-purity engineering-plastic material TECHNYL® PURE, with its outstanding electrical insulation properties and chemical resistance, is ideally suited for high-voltage electrical environments.

Ascending through the skies, trillions are set in motion. In 2026, the low-altitude economy is poised for a triple boom driven by favorable policies, technological advancements, and surging demand. From low-altitude logistics and cultural-tourism sightseeing to emergency rescue and disaster relief, the synergistic effects of “Low Altitude Plus” are becoming increasingly evident. Plastics and composite materials have emerged as strategically vital materials for low-altitude aircraft. Covestro’s high CTI polycarbonate delivers reliable performance and safety in demanding electrical environments, ensuring the stable operation of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Meanwhile, Kingfa Technology’s KingPan® flame-retardant composite panels, featuring a high glass-fiber content and achieving V-0 flame retardancy, withstand temperatures up to 1,200°C, maintain continuous combustion for 30 minutes, exhibit no dripping, and self-extinguish within 10 seconds of exposure to flame—making them ideally suited for components used in low-altitude aircraft.

The explosive growth of commercial space has generated massive demand for materials and equipment. As of December 2025, China has submitted to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) plans to deploy an ultra-large satellite constellation comprising more than 200,000 satellites, signaling that China’s low-Earth-orbit satellite-internet infrastructure is entering a phase of substantial acceleration. Carbon-fiber-reinforced nylon composites—lightweight yet high-strength—have emerged as the material of choice for revolutionizing satellite support structures; PEEK and PEKK, with their outstanding resistance to high temperatures, radiation, and chemical corrosion, are suitable for satellite structural components, cable insulation, and engine seals; phenolic resins, owing to their high char yield and excellent processability, are ideal for use in nozzles of commercial solid-propellant rockets; and LCP, with its low dielectric constant, low dielectric loss, and superior high-temperature performance, has become a key material for high-frequency communication components in satellites. Sisoco’s lightweight composite materials can replace metallic materials in aerospace structures; its prepregs and MTM46 epoxy resin systems are specifically engineered for extreme environments, offering superior stiffness, impact resistance, and thermal performance compared with metals. When used to manufacture payload fairings, these materials can reduce weight by approximately 30% relative to metal, significantly lowering launch fuel consumption, increasing payload capacity, and reducing manufacturing costs.

“CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition” precisely captures industry trends, brings together leading global exhibitors, and builds an innovative industrial ecosystem through cutting-edge technological exhibits.

2025 marks the inaugural year of mass production for humanoid robots, and 2026 will usher in a pivotal turning point characterized by large-scale volume expansion and accelerated commercialization. The evolution of humanoid robotics is rapidly shifting from “moving on stage” and “running on the competition field” to “being used in homes” and “working in factories.” According to IDC’s forecast, China’s spending on embodied intelligence robots is expected to exceed US$1.4 billion in 2025, with a compound annual growth rate of 94% over the next five years. In this vast untapped market, breakthroughs in materials technology serve as the core enabler for the scalable deployment of robots, with polymer and elastomer materials playing an indispensable role. Specialty engineering plastics such as PEEK and PPS, owing to their high strength, low density, wear resistance, and self-lubricating properties, are increasingly replacing metal components in robot joints, gears, bearings, and other critical parts. Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are well-suited for flexible components like artificial muscles and artificial skin. Lushan New Materials has launched a new-generation triboelectric, thermally pressurized, dual-mode electronic skin that can precisely detect even the faintest tactile sensations, such as light touches and pulse signals. Meanwhile, Dawn Shares has developed an ultra-soft TPE-based artificial muscle with a Shore hardness as low as 0A, offering exceptional softness, outstanding elasticity, and a dry, non-slip surface—making it ideal for use in core robotic components such as joint actuators.

“CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition” brings together more than 4,600 high-quality exhibitors from around the globe, proactively responding to market demand by showcasing cutting-edge technologies, a wider array of application scenarios, and robust industry vitality, thereby facilitating efficient alignment with the upgrading of traditional industries, the expansion of emerging sectors, and the strategic positioning of future industries.

       Intelligent upgrading and green transformation: turning the blueprint into industrial reality

The proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan calls for “fully implementing the ‘Artificial Intelligence Plus’ initiative” and “seizing the commanding heights in the application of AI across industries to comprehensively empower all sectors.” At the start of 2026, a series of policy measures were rolled out one after another, with localities accelerating the integrated innovation of “AI plus manufacturing.” From upgrading industrial-chain collaboration to providing targeted support to small and medium-sized enterprises, AI technology is now being fully embedded across all stages of the manufacturing process.

Addressing the pain points of low efficiency and high error rates in traditional manual quality inspection, AI not only accurately detects defects down to the micrometer level but also continuously learns and iterates inspection standards, leaving no flaw undetected. Gudeshikong’s high-speed quality inspection system, soon to be showcased at CHINAPLAS 2026—the International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition—leverages advanced vision technology and a combination of conventional algorithms with AI-driven models to enable real-time quality monitoring and defect identification on high-speed production lines, delivering comprehensive product quality assessments in milliseconds. Meanwhile, Xiamen Jina Intelligent’s AI valve-bag visual inspection system employs AI vision technology to detect and reject defects throughout the valve-bag manufacturing process, capturing in real time a wide range of anomalies in both incoming roll stock and bag-making operations, thereby reducing labor costs and work intensity while enhancing product quality stability. AI technology is now penetrating deeper into the production front end, effectively equipping machines with “brains” and enabling large-scale models to “work” within factories. Engel has launched inject AI, an iQ process observer system equipped with AI capabilities that can automatically analyze more than 1,000 process parameters in real time, precisely identify production deviations, and provide actionable optimization recommendations.

The “15th Five-Year Plan” proposal explicitly calls for “accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development.” As an important component of the manufacturing sector, the rubber and plastics industry is leveraging technological innovation to drive green, circular development, building a closed-loop ecosystem that spans “production–use–recovery–regeneration,” thereby turning “waste” into a “new starting point” for the circular economy. BASF, in collaboration with Porsche and Bestway, has completed the world’s first pilot project for the recovery of mixed end-of-life vehicle waste, pioneering the use of gasification technology to treat the complex residues remaining after vehicle dismantling—including plastics, films, paints, and foams, which were previously mostly handled through thermal recovery. The feedstock recovered via the mass balance approach—syngas and its derivatives—has replaced fossil-based raw materials within BASF’s integrated value chain, enabling the production of polyurethane formulations for automotive steering wheels and thus closing the loop from “end-of-life vehicle components → raw materials → new vehicle components.” Meanwhile, Baolüte has tailored three distinct “rebirth solutions”—glycolysis, microwave alcoholysis, and solvent-based processes—specifically for different types of plastic waste, covering PET, PP, PE, as well as composite and dyed plastics, thereby establishing a comprehensive and highly efficient chemical recycling system that transforms waste plastics into high-quality recycled feedstocks.

Recycled plastics, bio-based materials, biodegradable plastics, recycling technologies, digitalization solutions, and high-efficiency, energy-saving production equipment will be among the exhibition’s key highlights. Through immersive, real-world demonstrations, CHINAPLAS 2026—the International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition—will bring the smart, green future envisioned in the 14th Five-Year Plan to life.

“CHINAPLAS 2026 International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition” will bring the smart, green future to life through immersive, real-world demonstrations.

        Expanding high-level opening-up highlights the value of the Global Rubber and Plastics Pavilion.

The year 2026 marks the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan period and is a pivotal year for China to continue demonstrating resilience and dynamism amid a complex international economic environment. The proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan includes specific measures to “expand high-standard opening-up,” such as “broadening the scope for two-way investment cooperation” and “guiding the rational and orderly cross-border deployment of industrial and supply chains.” At present, Chinese enterprises have moved beyond the stage of “exporting products” to a new phase of “exporting industrial chains” and “exporting ecosystems.” For instance, BYD has established a manufacturing plant in Hungary; SAIC Motor has partnered with a local Turkish company to set up a production facility; CATL’s third European battery factory has been located in Spain; Jinfa Technology has achieved large-scale production in Vietnam and Spain while actively advancing the development of overseas production bases in Poland, Mexico, South Africa, and other markets; and Yizumi has established subsidiaries in 12 countries and regions, including Germany, the United States, India, Turkey, and Mexico. By the end of 2025, Chinese enterprises had set up more than 50,000 overseas operations spanning 190 countries and regions.

As Chinese enterprises accelerate their “going global” strategy to tap into new overseas markets, foreign-invested firms continue to ramp up their presence in China. In 2025, China’s actual utilization of foreign investment reached RMB 747.69 billion, with 70,392 newly established foreign-invested enterprises—up 19.1% year on year. France’s Faurecia Group increased its investment and expanded production in Changshu, Jiangsu Province; BASF’s integrated Zhanjiang site commissioned a 1-million-ton-per-year ethylene complex; and Covestro inaugurated a brand-new thermoplastic polyurethane production facility in Zhuhai.

Under the dual framework of “going global” and “bringing in,” the pivotal role of international trade platforms is becoming increasingly prominent. As a core platform for face-to-face technological exchange and business matchmaking, trade shows effectively break down information barriers, build industry-wide consensus, and strengthen collaborative innovation. The CHINAPLAS International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition has established a vital communication bridge: it provides Chinese companies with tangible channels to access overseas markets and tailor their offerings to regional needs, while also offering foreign enterprises a window into China’s manufacturing strength and innovative capabilities. After years of steady development, the show has cultivated strong appeal among exhibitors and buyers worldwide, earning its reputation as the global hub of the plastics and rubber industry and continuously drawing participants from every corner of the globe.

        Register now to seize the initiative in development.

Standing at the new starting point of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, CHINAPLAS 2026—the International Plastics and Rubber Exhibition—will provide a comprehensive showcase of the emerging wave of high-quality productivity in the rubber and plastics industry, helping the sector accurately grasp macroeconomic trends, keenly identify strategic opportunities, and efficiently connect with core resources. We cordially invite industry professionals to join this premier event and work together to write a new chapter of high-quality development for the rubber and plastics industry.

Pre-registration for exhibition visitors is now in full swing! Please visit the official website to register in advance. The pre-registration fee is RMB 50, and upon completion you will receive an electronic visitor pass (for mainland Chinese visitors) or an electronic confirmation letter (for visitors from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas).

Article sourced from: PR Newswire