The 2026 RCEP Media & Think Tank Forum was held on May 8-9 in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, where it addressed various pressing challenges.

Representatives of media outlets, think tanks and businesses from 14 countries — including China, Australia and Singapore — shared their insights on navigating global changes and unlocking new opportunities in regional cooperation.

Delegates from three international organizations — the Trilateral Cooperation Secretariat, the ASEAN-China Centre and the International Maritime Organization — also attended the event.

On December 18, 2025, the island-wide special customs operations of the Hainan Free Trade Port were officially launched, marking the beginning of a new chapter featuring “Open up the 'front line', Regulate the 'second line' well, and Freedom in the island.”

Experts noted that, as the world's largest free trade pact, RCEP — known in full as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership — has played an irreplaceable role in anchoring Asian economic integration since its implementation four years ago.

Amid profound geopolitical shifts, the importance of the RCEP regional economic integration mechanism has become increasingly prominent.

To jointly address challenges and promote development, RCEP will deepen its internal cooperation, expand into new areas of collaboration and advance its expansion and upgrading — transforming it from a "trade scale advantage" bloc to one of "functional and quality enhancement".

On the afternoon of May 9, the forum also held two dialogues themed on "Enhancing RCEP Implementation Effectiveness to Unleash Greater Development Dividends" and "Building Consensus on Its Development and Jointly Elevating RCEP to a Higher Standard".

Since its establishment in 2021, the RCEP Media & Think Tank Forum has been held six consecutive times. It’s generated a broad and positive impact in leveraging the role of the media and think tanks, in order to promote regional economic and trade cooperation, as well as cultural exchanges within the entire RCEP region.