At CHINAPLAS 2026 in Shanghai, the industry aims to impress with topics such as efficiency, the circular economy and AI.

Despite market pressures, China remains the key market for European machinery manufacturers, emphasises the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association in a statement. According to the VDMA Association, the country continues to play a central role as the second most important sales market for European plastics and rubber machinery. According to the association, Germany and Italy in particular are in a strong position in the Chinese market, together accounting for a 43 per cent share of exports to China.
 
To secure and expand market share, the VDMA Association considers a strong presence of European machinery manufacturers at CHINAPLAS 2026, Asia’s leading plastics trade fair, to be crucial. It will take place from 21 to 24 April 2026 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC) in Shanghai. European exhibitors intend to use the trade fair to present holistic system solutions that combine machinery, automation, digital tools and process expertise. According to the VDMA, the key themes of their presence in Shanghai include “efficiency and productivity”, “digitalisation and smart manufacturing”, “recycling and the circular economy”, as well as “high-value applications” such as in medical technology, lightweight construction and functional packaging.
 
To complement the trade fair, the VDMA trade association and CHINAPLAS organiser Adsale are offering their own platform for in-depth technical exchange on plastics during the first three days of CHINAPLAS with the conference “The Power of Plastics”. According to the information provided, the focus will be on plastics recycling, the processing of recycled materials, and the opportunities offered by digitalisation and artificial intelligence in plastics processing.
 
Sources:

• VDMA press release (13.4.2026)
• photo: © Carlos de Souza / Unsplash (symbolic image)