The 47th World Congress of Vine and Wine opens in Yinchuan, capital of northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, on October 12, 2026. Photo: VCG

The 47th World Congress of Vine and Wine opened on Monday in Yinchuan, capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China's top wine-producing area as the region is nurturing its distinctive wine industry as a “purple business card” to boost opening-up.

This is the first time the century-old congress, held alongside the 24th General Assembly of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), has been hosted in Asia.

The event has drawn more than 800 participants, including delegates from 51 OIV member states, diplomatic envoys to China from 25 countries, representatives from 47 countries and international organizations, leading experts and scholars in the wine sector from at home and abroad, as well as heads of domestic business associations and leading enterprises, according to Xinhua.

Under the theme "Shaping new paradigms for the global Vine and Wine sector: transforming to meet challenges, innovating to ignite vitality, and sustaining to anchor a shared future", the congress will bring together scientists, researchers, policymakers and professionals from around the world to exchange knowledge and explore innovative solutions for the future of the global vine and wine sector, according to the website of the OIV.

A Helan Mountain Initiative was unveiled at the opening ceremony which called on global counterparts to deepen multilateral coordination, advance eco-friendly cultivation, boost innovation, improve standards and governance, uphold product safety and energize market activity.

The eastern side of Helan Mountain in Ningxia has become China's largest contiguous wine grape production area. This region has 607,000 mu, or about 40,467 hectares, dedicated to wine grape cultivation and development, accounting for nearly 42 percent of China's total.

The 6th China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo opened alongside the congress. The local wine industry has become a driver of local tourism. Wineries in Ningxia receive more than 3.7 million tourist visits each year, generating combined economic benefits of over 50 billion yuan ($7.4 billion), according to Xinhua.

Global Times