From Dialogue to Projects: Twenty-One Initiatives Launched During the Opening of the Second Eurasian Financial and Economic Forum
On April 20, 2026, the Shanghai Expo Center hosted the inaugural ceremony for the II Eurasian Financial and Economic Forum, titled "Eurasia: A Space of Trust and Sustainable Cooperation." The event was organized by the China-Europe Association for Economic and Technical Cooperation, Financial & Business Association of Euro-Asian Cooperation (FBA EAC), Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RUIE), and the Association of Banks of Russia, with co-organizational support from the Chongqing China-Russia Association for Economic and Cultural Cooperation and the Shanghai Federation of Modern Services.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Liu Zihua, Secretary of the Komsomol Committee and Deputy General Director of the Xinhua News Agency Industry Center, a distinguished partner of the forum. In his introductory remarks, he underscored that the inaugural forum, held in 2025, convened approximately 500 delegates from the political, academic, and business sectors of over a dozen countries, thereby establishing a robust foundation for dialogue, resource exchange, and project coordination. The second forum marks a pivotal transition from the initial phase of "platform creation and consensus-building" to a new stage of "deepened engagement, implementation facilitation, and mechanism formulation."
The opening of the II Eurasian Financial and Economic Forum was formally announced by Zheng Huiqiang, a member of the Standing Committee of both the 11th and 12th National People's Congresses and a former Deputy Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai People's Assembly.
Welcoming addresses and presentations were delivered by prominent figures, including Chen Jinyue, Executive Vice President and Secretary General of the Sino-European Association for Economic and Technical Cooperation; Alexander Murychev, RUIE Vice President, Chairman of the International Banking Council and the FBA EAC Board; Alexander Shokhin (via video message), RUIE President; Elena Skvortsova, Vice President of the Association of Banks of Russia; Bakhyt Sultanov, Member of the Board (Minister) for Economics and Financial Policy of the Eurasian Economic Commission; Ma Hong, Chairman of the Committee on Financial Technologies and Services of the Shanghai Federation of Modern Services; Dmitry Lukyantsev, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Shanghai; Ivan Arkhipov, Vice President of the Russian-Chinese Friendship Society and Chairman of the Arkhipov Foundation for Socio-Economic Development (Russia-China); Li Minzhong, Chairman of the Chinese Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment and Research; Bakhytbek Baisseitov, President of the Association of Banks of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Evgeny Bazhov, General Representative of the Russian Export Center in China and Head of the FBA EAC Chinese Representative Office; and Zhang Shiqiao, Head of the Foreign Investment Promotion Department of the Chongqing Bonded Port Area Development and Management Group.
A roundtable session was conducted during the opening ceremony, attended by Li Shuobing, FBA EAC President; Alexander Murichev, Vice President of the RSPP and Chairman of the International Banking Council; Ai Jie, Deputy Secretary General of the China-Europe Association for Economic and Technical Cooperation; Liu Yu, Deputy Secretary General of the Shanghai Federation of Modern Services; Elena Skvortsova, Vice President of the Association of Banks of Russia; and Xiong Ying, Deputy General Director of the Shanghai Wanzhan Science and Technology Innovation Development Group.
During the discussion, the Forum's role as an institutional platform for regional cooperation between China and Eurasia was examined, along with the prospects for resource alignment and joint projects, as well as the interaction between Russian and Chinese banks and banking associations at the regional level.
The opening ceremony concluded with the launch of twenty-one key projects spanning five thematic areas: financial innovation, digital economy, large-scale logistics, advanced manufacturing, and cultural industry. Attendees included representatives from Shanghai Baozhentong Information Technology, Shanghai Han Tianheng Art Exchange and Heritage Center, Chongqing Bonded Port Area Development and Management Group, Xinhua News Agency, FBA EAC, Shanghai Innovation Center for Service Standardization, Arkhipov Foundation, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Qiteng Robot, Shanghai Lianyi Auto Parts, and other organizations.
The forum's business program encompassed thematic sessions, roundtables, B2B negotiations, and site visits to leading enterprises and institutions in Shanghai. As a result of the II Eurasian Financial and Economic Forum, a comprehensive package of initiatives will be prepared for submission to the Intergovernmental Russian-Chinese Commission on Investment Cooperation.