Wenzhou, the cradle of the private economy, once again gathers global Wenzhou businessmen and elite politicians and think tanks from multiple countries. A dialogue with the the Belt and Road as the longitude and latitude kicked off here to explore the new direction of industrial upgrading and global cooperation

Wenzhou Business Forum opens in Wenzhou

On October 10, 2026, the 2026 Wenzhou Business Development Dialogue and Zhejiang the Belt and Road Think Tank Forum opened in Wenzhou. The forum was hosted by Wenzhou Business School and the Provincial Development Planning Research Institute, focusing on industrial upgrading and global cooperation under the the Belt and Road Initiative. 7 former dignitaries, experts and representatives of global Wenzhou businessmen attended the conference, built a platform for think tanks and industry docking, and gathered consensus on the the Belt and Road Initiative.

Wenzhou is the birthplace of private economy and a window for opening up to the outside world. Wen Shang Development Dialogue has become a distinctive think tank brand. This year, based on the new starting point of Wenzhou's trillion dollar city, focuses on the iteration, intergenerational inheritance, and overseas layout of Wenzhou's commercial industry, discusses opportunities and risks for private enterprises to go global, and inherits the entrepreneurial spirit of Wenzhou's commercial sector. At the opening ceremony, provincial and municipal leaders, as well as school representatives, delivered speeches. The sponsor said that Wenzhou merchants adhering to the spirit of 4000 are valuable resources for Zhejiang to connect with the the Belt and Road. At present, private enterprises need to balance industrial upgrading and global cooperation. The forum promotes the implementation of think tank achievements and empowers the sweet potato economy to improve quality.

Multiple discussions collide with viewpoints

In the strategic dialogue session, former politicians and experts from multiple countries delivered keynote speeches, discussing global economic and trade, China Africa cooperation, and the inheritance of private enterprises. It was suggested that private enterprises should prudently carry out international operations to achieve mutual benefit and win-win results. In the keynote speech, experts at home and abroad shared their views on new opportunities along the the Belt and Road. Representatives of political, commercial, academic and research institutes held round table dialogues to exchange paths for multi party participation in the construction of the the Belt and Road.

The forum released two research reports, among which the New Generation Wenzhou Business Report surveyed 903 enterprises, analyzed intergenerational inheritance problems, proposed collaborative solutions, and assisted in the healthy construction of Wenzhou's private economy. It was recognized and approved by the All China Federation of Industry and Commerce. After the main forum, six parallel sub forums were held simultaneously, focusing on hot topics such as enterprise globalization, investment in Africa, public opinion response, and supply chain security. Experts, entrepreneurs, and teachers and students from home and abroad conducted cross-cultural discussions.

The forum is accompanied by youth exchange activities, where overseas experts share their views on global governance, and Oxford professors give lectures to broaden the international perspective of young people. Foreign guests and experts attending the conference went to China Eye Valley for research, conducted on-site inspections of the digital transformation of Wenzhou's manufacturing industry, and felt the vitality of the private economy. Keywords: Wenzhou Business Forum, the Belt and Road, sweet potato economy

Think tank brand continues to shine

This forum is a key project supported by the Wenzhou Municipal Government and the National People's Congress for the operation of Wenzhou Business School. In the next step, Wenzhou Business School will continue to strengthen the brand of Wenzhou business development and dialogue think tanks, open up academic, government enterprise and international communication channels, rely on Wenzhou private economic practice, and output the results of think tanks for high-quality development of private enterprises and joint construction of the the Belt and Road.Editor/Gong Ziwei