The 2025 China International Coatings Summit is held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from April 9 to 11. CHINA DAILY

International coatings event brings together almost 1,500 delegates in Zhejiang

The 2025 China International Coatings Summit, held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, from April 9 to 11, served as a platform to foster collaboration, charting a course for the industry toward a greener and innovation-driven future.

With the theme "Leading with New Quality, Forging Ahead", the summit spotlighted industrial policy, economic outlooks, and strategic pathways to drive low-carbon and high-quality growth in the coatings sector. It brought together more than 1,460 representatives from across the industry, government bodies and academic institutions.

Liu Jie, secretary-general of the China National Coatings Industry Association, delivered a keynote speech outlining the country's macroeconomic outlook and policy direction.

"The 2025 Government Work Report emphasizes stable growth and consumption stimulation," Liu said. "This is particularly promising for coatings-related downstream sectors such as automobiles, ships, containers, energy, and smart devices — all showing upward trends."

He highlighted that in 2024, the global coatings and painting market reached $202 billion, with production hitting 48.9 billion liters — a 2.5 percent rise in value and a 0.4 percent increase in volume year-on-year.

"From 2024 to 2029, we expect a compound annual growth rate of 3 percent in output and 5.8 percent in value. The Asia-Pacific region, especially China, remains at the forefront in both scale and innovation," Liu said.

Domestically, China's coatings industry remained stable in 2024.Total production reached 35.34 million metric tons, while main business revenue rose 1.56 percent to 408.9 billion yuan ($55.94 billion). Total profits grew by 9.34 percent to 26.29 billion yuan.

Zhang Wenming, a second-level inspector from the raw materials industry department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, underscored the strategic role of coatings in China's petrochemical and manufacturing landscape.

"Coatings are essential across numerous fields, including architecture, automobiles, home appliances, and machinery. Every technological breakthrough in coatings drives quality and efficiency gains across the industrial chain," Zhang said.

He also stressed the industry's pivotal role in China's dual-carbon strategy. Environmentally friendly coatings now account for more than 60 percent of domestic use, with the rapid adoption of high-solid, waterborne and powder coatings helping reduce volatile organic compound emissions and promoting green transformation.

Zhang added: "To stay competitive globally, China's coatings industry must uphold innovation, embrace sustainability and pursue integration. Our ministry will continue to support the sector through policy guidance, resource alignment and international cooperation."

[email protected]