An eVTOL model on display at the 2026 World Intelligence Expo in Tianjin. ZOU HONG/CHINA DAILY
The 2026 World Intelligence Expo kicked off on Thursday morning at the National Convention and Exhibition Center (Tianjin).
Aiming to set a benchmark for the global intelligent sector, the event features a record-breaking exhibition area of 130,000 square meters, attracting over 740 enterprises and institutions, ranging from State-owned enterprises and industry leaders to emerging tech startups.
The unprecedented scale of the expo reflects the nation's accelerating push toward an intelligent economy. Wu Zhaohui, vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said during the opening ceremony that artificial intelligence is profoundly transforming human production and lifestyles while continuously driving deep economic and social changes.
"This year marks the eighth time AI has been included in the Government Work Report, with a continuous focus on the 'AI+' initiative for three consecutive years," Wu said. He explained that the progression from strategic initiation in 2024 to scenario application in 2025, and now the creation of a new smart economy format in 2026, fully demonstrates that China's AI sector has entered a new era of systematic layout and large-scale application.
