The 2026 Ocean Cooperation and Development Forum will be held in Qingdao West Coast New Area from Sept 16 to 18, bringing together government officials, international organizations, experts and industry representatives to explore cooperation on the sustainable development of the ocean economy.

Jointly hosted by the Shandong provincial government and the Ministry of Natural Resources, the forum will be themed "From Blue to Future: Developing a Sustainable Ocean Economy and Building a Beautiful and Abundant Ocean Together".

About 680 participants are expected to attend, including roughly 200 overseas guests and representatives from 12 international organizations.

This year's program comprises an opening ceremony and main forum, a dialogue on marine civilization, four parallel forums and eight supporting activities. Topics will range from marine industries and technological innovation to deep-sea development, ocean governance, artificial intelligence and blue finance.

The main forum on Sept 17 will see the release of several major research reports, including the 2026 China Ocean Development Index and the World Ocean Economy Development Report 2026. More than 50 innovation achievements and case studies are also expected to be presented at the parallel sessions.

Shandong's gross ocean product reached 1.9 trillion yuan (about $267 billion) in 2025, ranking second nationwide, while the sector grew 6.4 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2026.

Now in its third edition, the forum has developed into a platform for international exchanges on marine economic development, scientific innovation and ocean governance.