Xi Sends Letter as WorldSkills Opens in Shanghai

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the 48th WorldSkills Competition as the event opened in Shanghai on the evening of 22 September, underscoring China’s push to elevate vocational training and young skilled talent as the country hosts the competition for the first time. The letter, read aloud at the opening ceremony, framed the event as a platform for international skills exchange amid what Xi described as an accelerating technological revolution and industrial transformation.

According to People’s Daily, Xi said the competition “closely aligns with industry needs, providing a useful platform for skilled talent from various countries to sharpen their skills and learn from each other.” He added that China would use the event as an opportunity to “encourage and guide more workers, especially young people, to embark on the path of becoming talented through skills,” and pledged cooperation to advance the global skills movement.

The competition, themed “Skills Change the World, Skills Light the Future,” runs from 22 to 27 September, organized by WorldSkills International and co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government.

A Global Stage in Shanghai

The scale is substantial. Nearly 1,400 competitors from more than 65 countries and regions are taking part, with around 400,000 visitors expected at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 organizing body reported. The event spans 64 skill competitions grouped into six sectors, from manufacturing and engineering to information and communication technology.

The Shanghai edition introduces new skills reflecting a changing world of work, including Intelligent Security Technology, Digital Interactive Media Design, Software Testing, Dental Prosthetics, Rail Vehicle Technology and Unmanned Aerial Systems. Organizers noted that skill competitions are regularly reviewed, with new disciplines added and existing ones updated or retired as industries evolve.

“Compared with workers who master a single skill, those who can use digital and intelligent tools, work across disciplines and think innovatively will have an advantage in the future,” Chen Yujie, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security, told the organizers’ news service.

The WorldSkills official news site confirmed that the Opening Ceremony at the Shanghai World Expo Cultural Center began with a Parade of Nations led by the WorldSkills Champions Trust, with more than 50 ministers in attendance. It described the four-day competition period ahead, closing on 27 September when medals are awarded and the WorldSkills flag is handed to WorldSkills Japan ahead of WorldSkills Aichi 2028.

Diplomacy and Domestic Priorities

The competition has drawn China’s senior leadership. On the afternoon of 22 September, Premier Li Qiang met WorldSkills President Uhan and CEO Hoy in Shanghai, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Li described hosting the competition as something “President Xi Jinping personally cares about and personally promotes,” and said China would strengthen mechanisms for cultivating, using, evaluating and incentivizing skilled talent while continuing to support WorldSkills’ transformation.

Li added that China stands ready to help the organization play a greater role in competitions, education and training, academic research, skills-based poverty alleviation and South-South cooperation — framing the event within Beijing’s broader diplomacy of providing global public goods.

Uhan and Hoy praised China’s skills development and its assistance to other countries, expressing confidence that China would present “an unprecedented WorldSkills Competition” and voicing support for advancing the WorldSkills 2035 Vision.

From First Delegation to First Host

China first sent a delegation to the WorldSkills Competition in 2011 in London. Fifteen years later, it hosts the event for the first time — a symbolic milestone for a country that has made technical education and manufacturing craftsmanship central to its economic strategy.

Beyond the competition floor, the week includes the WorldSkills Conference 2026 and WorldSkills Expo. Shanghai also hosts the WorldSkills Museum, described by organizers as the only exhibition in the world dedicated entirely to skills — a legacy platform both sides have pledged to continue operating.

Promotional ambassadors for the Shanghai edition include the international vlogger Li Ziqi, announced on 14 June at the 100-day countdown, and the young actor Xiao Zhan, as China News Service reported. Organizers said more than 3,600 volunteers were expected to support the event, building a multilingual, international service network.

What to Watch

With competitions set to run through 27 September, attention now turns to the results and to whether China’s emphasis on “becoming talented through skills” translates into sustained policy momentum at home. The event also serves as a test of how effectively Beijing can leverage a skills-focused gathering into broader international goodwill — particularly through its overtures on South-South cooperation and public goods. Watch for the closing ceremony on 27 September, when the flag passes to Japan and the next cycle toward Aichi 2028 begins.