From 15 to 16 June 2026, the 4th PubTech Conference and the 2nd STM APAC Conference were held consecutively at the Sheraton Grand Beijing Dongcheng Hotel. The two conferences attracted over 300 representatives from 13 countries and regions, including publishers, research institutions, libraries, and digital technology companies.
On 15 June, the 4th PubTech Conference kicked off with the theme “RE-IMAGINING THE PUBLISHING LANDSCAPE, AI Empowered Future”. The conference was hosted by China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Co., Ltd. and co-organized by multiple institutions including the China Periodicals Association and the China Editology Society of Science Periodicals, with support from the International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers (STM). Lin Liying, General Manager of CNPIEC, stated in her opening address that while publishing has continuously evolved through technological change, its core mission of disseminating knowledge remains unchanged. He Manchao, Professor and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, noted that artificial intelligence is reshaping knowledge production and dissemination models, and that the academic, publishing, and technology communities should deepen their collaboration. The conference featured three panel discussions on “Technology and Academic Publishing Workflow”, “Technology and Academic Dissemination”, and “Technology and Research Integrity”, as well as demonstrations of the latest AI applications in the publishing industry.
On 16 June, the 2nd STM APAC Conference followed with the theme “Openness, Integrity, Inclusion: The Evolution of Scholarly Communication in Asia-Pacific”. The conference was co-hosted by CNPIEC and STM. Mao Yuansheng, General Manager of China Publishing Group Co., Ltd.; Wu Shangzhi, President of the China Periodicals Association, and Caroline Sutton, CEO of STM, attended and delivered speeches. The conference focused on three core topics: “Research and Publishing,” “Subscription and Open Access,” and “Trusted Research and Social Responsibility.” Experts noted that while global open access now accounts for more than half of all publications, achieving full transition still faces obstacles such as polarization and unclear pathways; the future academic market will present a diversified and compound landscape in which subscriptions, various OA models, and AI licensing coexist.
