2026 China-International Coatings Summit: "Value Convergence, Shared Journey to the Horizon" with Industry Elites
On May 26, the 2026 China-Foreign Coatings Enterprise Distributor Summit, hosted by China-Foreign Coatings Network, was grandly held in Shunde, known as the hometown of China's coatings industry. Under the theme of "Value Convergence, Journey Together for the Long Haul," the summit brought together over 300 industry association leaders, coatings enterprise elites, distributor luminaries, and industry experts to explore new pathways for transformation in the coatings industry. The summit gathered coating enterprises with combined scale exceeding 300 billion yuan, raw and auxiliary material enterprises exceeding 300 billion yuan, and over 100 distributors and painting engineering companies at the ten-million-yuan level, achieving precise matchmaking with high-end frontline clients.
As an outstanding representative in the raw and auxiliary materials field, Kexin New Materials Co., Ltd. made a high-profile appearance at this summit with its core marketing team. The company's marketing team set up a dedicated matching area on site, comprehensively showcasing Kexin's latest R&D achievements in eco-friendly coating additives, high-performance resins, and water-based solutions. The team leader said: "The green transformation and value upgrading of the coating industry cannot be achieved without innovative support from upstream materials. We hope that through this summit, we can establish deep connections with more coating enterprises and ten-million-level distributors, and jointly explore full value chain optimization solutions from the material end to the coating end."
01 Keynote Address by Industry Leaders to Set the Tone
Qin Zhanxue, President of the China Building Materials Circulation Association, took the stage first to deliver a speech. He pointed out that in recent years the coatings industry has undergone profound transformations involving structural adjustment, green transformation, and channel reshaping. Environmental regulations are tightening, consumption upgrading is accelerating, and digitalization and intelligentization are penetrating rapidly, while market competition is intensifying and cost pressures are rising, bringing the industry into a critical window period of "breaking to rebuild, moving toward high-end and new development." He emphasized that distributors are the capillaries of the coatings industry and the last mile for brands to reach the market. President Qin proposed three hopes: uphold the original aspiration of value, rooted in quality and upheld by integrity; persist in innovation-driven development, shifting from price competition to value competition; and stay committed to progressing together for the long term, building a new ecosystem through industry chain collaboration.
In his speech, Luo Yu, President of the Shunde Coatings Chamber of Commerce, shared his views on the coordinated development of regional industries. He stated that the coatings industry has now entered the deep waters of stock competition, with raw material price fluctuations, homogenization chaos, and intensifying low-price involution, leading to a continuous squeeze on industry profits. The greater the pressure, the more necessary it is to unite, pool strengths, and pursue quality upgrading. The Shunde coatings industry is willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues at home and abroad to jointly polish the golden brand of China's coatings industry.
At the opening address, Li Funian, General Manager of Sino-Foreign Coatings Network, stated that 2026 marks the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, and the summit, themed "Value Convergence, Journeying Together for the Long Haul," aims to build consensus and forge the future. Sino-Foreign Coatings Network will continue to conduct comprehensive service capability ratings for distributors, organize regional salons, and provide digital training and traffic support.
02 Taking the Pulse of New Industry Trends
During the speech session, President Qin Zhanxue delivered a keynote speech titled "Exploring the Path from a Manufacturing Powerhouse to a Major Consumer Market — Promoting Building Materials and Home Furnishing Consumption as a Key Lever", analyzing industry development directions from the perspective of macro-policy. Li Funian, founder of Sino-Foreign Coatings Network, presented "2026 Coatings and Waterproofing Distributor Survival Analysis and Strategy Recommendations", pointing out that industrial coatings demand is robust, with its market size surpassing architectural coatings for the first time, and proposed three business recommendations: enhance service capabilities, strengthen digital transformation, and optimize product mix and brand selection.
As Chairman and Secretary-General of the Coatings and Waterproofing Distributors Professional Committee of the China Building Materials Circulation Association, Li Funian also released the committee's core work plan for 2026—the first domestic evaluation standard for coatings distributors was officially initiated, and the group standard will enter a substantive advancement stage.
03 Practical Sharing and the Establishment of the "China-Foreign Experts Alliance"
Tang Yanjiao, Southern General Manager of the Architectural Coatings Division of Rosy Technology Co., Ltd., shared technology-driven solutions for high-quality interior and exterior artistic wall coatings. Chen Zuliang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Anhui Coatings Industry Association, discussed a breakout strategy of "breaking boundaries and fission," emphasizing that the key lies in execution and iteration. Zhou Chunyuan, Deputy General Manager of Dragon Brand Coatings (Beijing) Co., Ltd., explained the "one base, two stores" strategy, opening central state-owned enterprise resources to partners and implementing regional price control and exclusive protection.
Yang Xianghong, advisor to the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, pointed out that high-performance industrial coatings and AI technology represent the next hundred-billion-yuan opportunity, and outlined four definitive tracks: high-performance specialty coatings, industrial paints for new energy supporting applications, plastic coatings, and organosilicon-modified coatings.
At the afternoon summit, the industry's first "Chinese and Foreign Coatings Experts Alliance" was officially established. Initiator Li Funian presented the "Chinese and Foreign Coatings New Media Gold Promotion Ambassador" awards to ten guests including Zou Jinyou, Chen Dongqing, Liu Yun, Li Huaying, Deng Pengfei, Lü Fangfang, He Mohan, Luo Jianfa, Chen Lejiang, and Chen Zuliang. Subsequently, coatings influencers and key opinion leaders such as Dr. Zou Jinyou, President Chen Dongqing, and Chairman Liu Yun delivered insightful presentations on personal IP building, corporate leader IP operation, short-video operation for stone-effect paint, and hands-on experience of delivering 186 villas per year. Yi Gao Chuang Neng founder Huang Zhendi, drawing on herbal putty practices, offered distributors new approaches to break out of cut-throat competition.
04 Breaking the Deadlock of Involution to Seek New Opportunities
Sales champion training expert Dayin Yushui pointed out that "sales is king" advocates are bound to become the dominant force in the new cycle. Xiao Hedong, Deputy General Manager of Zhongxi Yitu Technology, shared application cases of rare-earth heat-insulation solutions. Wan Shuibo, founder of Wanshuibo Consulting, explained the systematic methodology for building category champions. Zeng Weizheng, General Manager of Foshan Feimao Crafts Co., Ltd., presented a sample display system specifically designed to solve the problem of weak product presentation.
At the highly anticipated "Art Coatings Practical Forum," Li Huaying, Chairman of Sichuan Stuka Coatings Co., Ltd., proposed a transformation approach of "from selling products to selling aesthetic delivery"; Wang Hui, President of Guangdong Kabeli, elaborated on the strategic logic of "positioning determines the world"; Lei Hongzheng, Chairman of Guangdong Lexus Coatings, forecast the customization trend for the next three years; and Chen Binyu shared three killer tips for customer acquisition via short videos.
It is worth mentioning that the Kexin New Materials marketing team participated throughout the forum and free exchange sessions, conducting in-depth discussions with multiple art coating brand managers, ten-million-level distributors, and representatives from painting engineering companies. The team leader stated: "This summit allowed us to precisely reach the most active value creators in the coating industry chain. From material technology to brand empowerment, Kexin New Materials is willing to be the solid backing for the transformation and upgrading of coating enterprises and distributors."
05 Concluded Successfully, Embarking on a New Journey Together
After the forum concluded, the event moved into an open networking session where guests engaged in in-depth matchmaking, exploring collaboration opportunities through dynamic idea exchange. This summit was not only a feast of ideas but also an efficient platform for exchange and matchmaking across the entire industry chain. China Coatings Network stated that it will continue to build the stage, bridge connections, and empower the sector, walking alongside the industry to jointly drive the coatings industry’s leapfrog upgrade from scale-driven growth to value-driven growth.
The Marketing Director of Kexin New Materials also reached preliminary cooperation intentions with multiple coating enterprises and distributors during the summit, covering areas such as water-based industrial coating additive supply and art coating supporting material development. The team leader concluded: "Shunde is the hometown of coatings, and also a hot land that our new materials enterprise must deeply cultivate. This 'Value Fusion' journey yielded far more than expected."