HAIKOU, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 World New Energy Vehicle Congress (WNEVC) will take place from Sept. 22 to 24 in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, according to organizers on Wednesday.
The event will be the eighth consecutive edition held in Hainan and the first since the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) began island-wide special customs operations.
Under the theme "Transformation & Upgrading, Resilient Growth," the congress is expected to attract delegates from more than 20 countries and regions, including executives from multinational automakers, representatives of international industry organizations and leading researchers.
Discussions will cover technological innovation, industrial and supply chain resilience, low-carbon development and global cooperation in the new energy vehicle (NEV) sector.
A key forum on globalization and the Hainan FTP will explore special-purpose vehicle manufacturing, intelligent connected vehicles, and opportunities arising from FTP policies.
China's NEV exports continue to rise. In the first seven months of 2026, China exported 2.91 million NEVs, up 120 percent year on year, accounting for 47.4 percent of the country's total vehicle exports, industry data showed.
In 2025, China sold 16.49 million NEVs, up 28.2 percent from a year earlier, representing 47.9 percent of all new vehicle sales.
Against this backdrop, this year's congress will place a strong emphasis on international cooperation. It will again host a Sino-German forum on NEV cooperation and development, and for the first time, add a roundtable for Chinese and German auto parts companies.
The World New Energy Vehicle Development Organization, established last September during the 2025 WNEVC, will participate in organizing the congress for the first time.
Alongside the main forum, Hainan will host three thematic forums focusing on expert advice, intelligent connected and special-purpose vehicles, and the development of NEVs in cities.
The congress will also see the launch of several industry platforms and the signing of projects involving vehicle manufacturing, export vehicle testing and intelligent connected vehicles.
Launched in Hainan in 2019, the WNEVC has since held overseas sessions in Munich, California, Abu Dhabi, and Bangkok.
Hainan aims to position itself as a manufacturing and overseas service hub for intelligent connected NEVs. From January to August this year, NEVs accounted for 66.14 percent of newly registered vehicles in Hainan. The province had 596,300 NEVs, making up 25.74 percent of its total vehicle fleet. ■
