First Workday Events Set Positive Tone for 2026

As China's economy and society hit the ground running on the first working day of 2026, January 4, a series of major achievements and strategic initiatives across trade, business environment reform, industrial innovation, and regional development signaled strong momentum for the year ahead.

Qingdao's new shipping route

On January 4, the Qingdao Port in Shandong province in east China inaugurated its first direct foreign trade shipping route to Australia, linking China's key ports with Brisbane and Sydney.

The new service, with voyages taking about 20 days to Brisbane and 25 days to Sydney, significantly shortens transit times compared with traditional transshipment routes, which could take up to 30 days or even longer, enhancing logistics efficiency and strengthening direct maritime connectivity between China and a major Pacific trading partner.

The Qingdao Port now operates nearly 240 foreign trade routes, connecting more than 700 ports in over 180 countries and regions.

Shanghai's 26 new policies

Also on January 4, Shanghai held its annual business environment conference and released the 2026 Action Plan for Accelerating the Construction of a World-Class Business Environment.

The plan introduces 26 targeted measures across four pillars: government services, market competition, industrial ecosystem, and social co-governance. Officials say the reforms aim to make regulatory improvements more inclusive, fair and tangible for enterprises, reinforcing confidence in the city's economic prospects amid global uncertainties.

Shanghai has consistently ranked at the top of global business environment indicators, outperforming major international cities. Moreover, Shanghai Customs has rolled out the country's first "low-risk special item intelligent auxiliary approval model," which compresses average approval times by roughly 70 percent while maintaining biosecurity standards.

Nanjing's AI integration

In Nanjing in east China, new industrial directives have been introduced to bolster AI integration across sectors. The city's initiatives prioritize the establishment of interdisciplinary innovation platforms and employ competitive mechanisms such as "challenge-led breakthroughs" to address core algorithm development and large-scale deployment challenges.

Local leaders emphasize building AI ecological districts, deploying "compute power vouchers," and strengthening foundational support so that enterprises can pursue innovation with confidence.

Hainan's gateway role

In southern China, Hainan province held a high-profile New Year economic work meeting on advancing the high-standard construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port. The meeting underscored the urgency of deepening reform and opening up policies to attract investment and expand international cooperation.

Analysts observed that since the full implementation of free trade port operations, Hainan has enhanced market access and institutional innovation, reinforcing its role as a gateway for high-level opening up.

Nationally, upbeat tourism and consumption data from the New Year holiday further buoyed economic confidence. In Hainan, duty-free sales rose sharply, and transport and cultural markets saw strong activity, reflecting robust domestic demand and consumer enthusiasm at the start of 2026.

Taken together, these developments underscore China's proactive approach to economic governance in early 2026, combining infrastructure expansion, regulatory reform, industrial innovation, and regional openness to lay a solid foundation for sustained high-quality development throughout the year.

Source: Science and Technology Daily