2026-11-5

In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhuanet in Beijing, Hugh Jones, CEO of RX, explained how the global exhibition organizer is adjusting its role as global supply chains become more diversified and trade patterns more fragmented, and as China begins its next five-year plan. He outlined three roles for large trade shows in industry value chain collaboration and global trade connectivity — a connector, an accelerator and an amplifier. Jones also highlighted several of RX Greater China’s key initiatives for 2026: staging CMEF and PHARMCHINA in Beijing concurrently as one of the world’s largest annual integrated service platforms for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, rehabilitation, elderly care and health; launching new shows in emerging sectors and overseas markets, including three outbound exhibitions; and bringing more international buyers to its shows in China. He described exhibitions as a two-way bridge — connecting Chinese innovators with international buyers and helping global companies engage with the China market.

Xinhuanet：Mr. Jones, thank you for joining us today. CMEF and PHARMCHINA are coming to Beijing this autumn. What signal does this send at the industry level?

Hugh Jones：It's not just a return to Beijing; we're bringing a multi-dimensional upgrade — from industry capability, city strategy, to global connectivity to Beijing. CMEF and PHARMCHINA have gone through decades of growth alongside China's healthcare industry, together for a long time. Right now in Beijing, what we believe is the world's largest annual one-stop integrated service platform for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, rehabilitation, elderly care and health — over 270,000 square meters, bringing together almost 5,000 exhibitors and estimated 200,000 trade visitors from China and abroad.

CMEF supports Healthy China 2030; it helps Beijing build global healthcare innovation as its hub.

PHARMCHINA reflects Beijing's focus on pharmaceutical and innovative medicine development; it connects government, industry and international partners.

Three signals come to mind. First, China's healthcare industry keeps expanding and innovating, helping drive growth — it's an industry upgrade.

Second, Beijing is becoming a globally influential hub for healthcare innovation and cooperation, and is increasingly attractive for an international audience — both for companies and for innovation resources.

Third, China's healthcare industry is an increasingly important part of global healthcare supply chains, and it welcomes broader, deeper global cooperation.

China is not only a growth market; consumer habits, business models and technology can increasingly emerge in China and then scale globally.

So returning to Beijing will help us connect that innovation with the world.

Xinhuanet：You mentioned innovation in the industry. The medical device and pharmaceutical industries are moving into frontier areas such as AI, healthcare and embodied intelligence. In your view, what role should large industry exhibitions play in facilitating new quality productive forces?

Hugh Jones：Large trade shows should focus on three roles: in industry-chain collaboration and global trade connectivity — a connector, an accelerator, and an amplifier.

First, the connector: at the industry-chain level, we bring research, clinical, capital, manufacturing, global buyers, policymakers and regulators under one roof. That reduces cross-industry and cross-border cooperation costs; it's more efficient.

Second, the accelerator: at the global trade level, through launches, technology releases, matchmaking and investment meetings, we help new technologies find new application scenarios, use cases and business partners much faster.

Third, the amplifier: at the global innovation network level, through standards discussion, trend release, brand communication and international cooperation, we make innovation visible, validated and adopted — a bit like a megaphone.

Xinhuanet：You once made a statement, and I quote: "The more digital, the more precious face-to-face." Mr. Jones, could you explain why, in the digital age, offline exhibitions are defined as irreplaceable economic infrastructure?

Hugh Jones: Digital tools certainly make it easier to find information and potential partners. Face-to-face meetings, on the other hand, help people build the trust to do business — and that matters when buying complex products, entering new markets or forming long-term partnerships.

Exhibitions let people see what's on offer, ask questions, and build trust that allows them to make good decisions.

We use digital tools to make connections more valuable than before, during and after the event. We'll continue developing our digital portfolio; this year we launched RX NOW, a real-time AI-powered platform giving visitors instant access to everything they need during an event.

Xinhuanet：You advocate long-termism in China and have made a series of judgments. In 2025 you called on the exhibition industry, in times of uncertainty, to shift from "playing not to lose" to "playing to win"; in 2026 you defined exhibitions as irreplaceable economic infrastructure. What observations and practices in China shaped these views?

Hugh Jones: Because I see businesses upgrading, entering new markets and investing in new technologies, even amid the uncertainty of today's world — that's the reason to play to win. Long-termism to me means bringing that ambition with action.

In 2026, RX Greater China is launching nine shows, including three outbound shows, to help Chinese businesses grow at home and connect with the world. Exhibitions make that growth possible — they bring industries together, open markets, and create opportunities for the cities that host them.

Xinhuanet: Let's turn to the relationship between exhibitions and cities. You once said "cities embrace exhibitions, exhibitions build cities," which resonates with the Chinese idea of city-exhibition integration. When RX brings a large exhibition to a city, what do you expect from the city, and how should large exhibitions and a city's industry strategies support each other to achieve city-exhibition integration?

Hugh Jones: We expect a clear industry strategy, reliable support, being there for us every year, good safe venues and transport to and from those venues, and the services international businesses need.

The strongest partnerships happen when the exhibition and the city work together toward the same goal. Cities provide industry expertise, customers and real opportunities to put ideas to work — giving the exhibition depth and relevance beyond the four walls of the venue.

What exhibitions give back: access to global buyers, new ideas, potential investment. In a city with ambitions in healthcare, an RX exhibition can connect local innovators with major international markets more quickly. That's what I mean: cities embrace exhibitions, exhibitions build cities.

Xinhuanet：Looking at the global picture, the global trading environment is full of uncertainty, and attitudes toward international cooperation vary across markets. As outgoing UFI president, Mr. Jones, what new needs do you see from global industries for face-to-face exhibitions?

Hugh Jones：The more uncertain the world is — and it is pretty uncertain — the more businesses need to know who they can rely upon. Meeting face to face helps them test ideas, assess partners and build trust, eyeball to eyeball. Face to face, in many ways, is the new luxury.

As supply chains change, companies look for new customers, suppliers and routes into markets — including emerging markets like Southeast Asia, the Middle East or Latin America. Exhibitions bring those opportunities together in one place.

Digital tools make connections easier to find and more efficient. But when businesses make complex decisions about investment, resilience or sustainability, the conversation still matters — the conversation between two people. In a fragmented world, exhibitions give people a place to find common ground and move forward together with trust.

Xinhuanet： Over 40 years, RX has played a dual bridge role: bringing overseas exhibitions and companies to China, connecting Chinese companies with international buyers, and helping Chinese companies go global through overseas exhibitions. In 2026, RX is expanding its outbound layout to help Chinese companies expand into Southeast Asia. What's driving this expansion of your role?

Hugh Jones: Our customers need connections around a wider range of markets than before. Many drivers, but the obvious one: supply chains are becoming more diverse, not less. In 2026 we're bringing more international buyers to our shows in China, and expanding outbound shows in sectors like manufacturing, bakery and the gift market.

Our role goes beyond helping companies exhibit abroad — we do that, of course. We connect them with buyers, partners, and the market knowledge they need to grow.

Xinhuanet: This year RX is bringing new exhibitions to China, including IP licensing and embodied intelligence. How do you assess the direction of China's industrial upgrading, and how can large exhibitions serve these emerging industries?

Hugh Jones: China's industrial upgrading is moving into areas like clean tech, robotics and new digital products. Our shows reflect not only today's customer demand, but also future growth opportunities. We need to show customers not what they already know, but new trends and opportunities, a window to the future. We need to see around the corners for our customers and bring it to them.

Emerging industries need more than visibility. Exhibitions let companies demonstrate immediately what works, hear directly from buyers, and find partners who help them scale. We connect these companies with international markets. That's where an exhibition becomes more than a showcase — it helps turn innovation into business.

Xinhuanet: China's 15th Five-Year Plan period has begun, and many emerging and future industries representing new quality productive forces (China's policy term for innovation-driven productivity) are becoming pillars of China's economy. From a global exhibition industry perspective, what opportunities do these industries create for the world?

Hugh Jones: China's investment and innovation in AI, robotics, biomedicine and clean energy can create opportunities for international companies and support global collaboration.

Global businesses can bring technology and expertise into China, while Chinese companies can find new partners and customers abroad.

Exhibitions help turn that potential into business, by bringing innovators, buyers and investors all together at the same time, under the same roof.

Source：this article was compiled and edited based on the text and video content of “The More Digital the World Becomes, the More Precious Face-to-Face Communication Is: An Exclusive Interview with Hugh Jones, CEO of RX,” published by Xinhuanet on October 29,2026 

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