The 2026 World Dairy Industry Conference kicked off on August 1 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia. At the opening ceremony, Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group, delivered a keynote address titled Shared Value, Mutual Harmony, Building a New Global Dairy Ecosystem.
Pan Gang, Chairman and President of Yili Group
Respected leaders, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, good morning!
In the height of summer, Hohhot pulses with life and boundless vitality. On behalf of Yili Group, I extend my warmest welcome and deepest gratitude to all the leaders and distinguished guests from home and abroad who are joining us today.
In 2005, Hohhot was named the Dairy Capital of China. Over the past 21 years, this city has achieved a historic leap from the Dairy Capital of China to the World Dairy Capital. Concurrently, Yili has evolved from a regional enterprise into one of the world’s top five dairy companies and the No. 1 dairy company in Asia, achieving annual revenue exceeding RMB 100 billion for five consecutive years. What inspires us even more is that, driven by Yili, China’s per-cow milk yield has entered the global top tier. The core indicators of our raw milk, such as protein and fat content, now surpass EU standards. China’s dairy industry has achieved a remarkable leap in quality—from catching up to taking the lead.
IUFoST officially awards Hohhot the title of World Dairy Capital
Today, the global dairy sector is navigating an era of rapid technological advances, deep industry chain restructuring, ongoing climate impacts, and evolving consumer demands. In the face of these changes, where is our industry heading? I believe the mission of a glass of milk goes beyond merely nourishing life; it is about achieving World Integrally Sharing Health. We are committed to joining hands with partners worldwide to forge a new path of shared value and mutual harmony. Together, we will build a new global dairy ecosystem driven by innovation, empowered by digital intelligence, and rooted in green development.
First, building a new innovation ecosystem to define the industry’s future with the Global Smart Chain.
True innovation is never an island, but an entire continent. Yili pools global dairy wisdom to weave a strong innovation network. We have established 15 R&D and innovation centers worldwide, constructing the largest and most extensive innovation matrix in China’s dairy industry. Today, Yili ranks No. 1 in China’s dairy industry for both total global patent applications and invention patent applications, standing second among the Global Dairy Top 10. Furthermore, we spearheaded the establishment of the National Technology Innovation Center for Dairy, the only one of its kind in China’s food industry. It unites over 10 academicians and more than 100 partners across industry, academia, and research, creating a vital innovation hub for the advancement of the dairy industry.
National Technology Innovation Center for Dairy
We recognize that laboratory breakthroughs are merely the starting point, and true innovation lies in creating value for consumers. In the realm of precision nutrition, we pioneered the world’s first targeted extraction and protection technology for lactoferrin, increasing the retention rate of lactoferrin in UHT milk from 10% to over 90%. This makes valuable nutrients like lactoferrin more accessible to consumers worldwide. We firmly believe that the depth of openness defines the height of innovation, while the scale of inclusiveness reveals the true value of technology. We look forward to partnering globally to redefine the industry’s future with the Global Smart Chain and enhance global health and well-being.
Second, building a new digital-intelligent ecosystem to accelerate dairy development with a digital intelligence engine.
Digital intelligence is not a solo act, but a whole-chain symphony. Yili is driving vertical and horizontal integration to build a full-chain digital-intelligent ecosystem. Upstream, we have built world-leading smart pastures. Midstream, we have established smart factories; the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley, which you will visit this afternoon, is the global benchmark for digitalized dairy smart manufacturing. Downstream, we have developed an intelligent insight system capable of online co-creation with 150 million consumers, which delivers market insights in just 3.5 days on average—achieving twice the efficiency of traditional methods.
Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley
Moreover, the newly initiated Dairy Data Intelligence Hub marks another milestone in our digital intelligence development. Together with top-tier partners like NVIDIA and Tencent, we will take the lead in filling the gap in industry-specific datasets and pioneer a four-in-one model of data, platform, standard, and talent, truly establishing a model led by industry leaders and benefiting the entire industry chain.
Launch of China (Global) Dairy Data Intelligence Hub
We firmly believe that digital intelligence is not just about numbers on a screen, but about the genuine care placed in the hands of consumers. We look forward to working with global partners, turning the data foundation into the industry’s growth engine, and riding the digital wave to accelerate the global dairy industry.
Third, building a new green ecosystem to cement a sustainable foundation for dairy development with the dual-footprint approach.
As a company born on the grasslands, we deeply understand the principle of sourcing sustainably and consuming responsibly. From a blade of grass to a cow to a glass of milk, adhering to green actions across the entire lifecycle helps reduce our environmental impact and foster green development.
Yili alfalfa fields in Ar Horqin Banner, Inner Mongolia
Yili is the first Chinese dairy company to release dual-carbon goals and a net-zero carbon roadmap, and we have committed to achieving carbon neutrality across the entire industry chain by 2050. To this end, we have built China’s first net-zero carbon pasture and China’s first net-zero carbon factory in the food industry, and we have rolled out China’s first net-zero carbon milk. We launched the Net-Zero Carbon Alliance and the Global Low Water Footprint Initiative, exploring a dual-footprint solution for whole-chain emission reduction with over 200 global partners. This makes us the world’s only agriculture and food company featured in the UN Global Compact’s Corporate Net Zero Pathway. In our view, net-zero carbon is not a slogan, but a commitment to future generations. We firmly believe that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. We look forward to working alongside global partners to transform the dual-footprint approach from a green commitment into collective action across the entire value chain, enhancing the quality and sustainability of dairy development.
Prosperity is not a solo act, but a symphony. We look forward to standing side by side with global partners to build three new ecosystems of innovation, digital intelligence, and green development to deliver China’s answer. Together, we will harness the momentum of this transformative era, creating greater synergy and amplifying a powerful collective voice for shared value across the global dairy industry. This answer begins in the World Dairy Capital and will eventually benefit the world.
Keynote address at the 2026 World Dairy Industry Conference
Respected leaders and distinguished guests, the wind blows from the grasslands, reaching out to the world. With the spirit of mutual harmony, let us embark on a journey of shared value, contributing the strength of the dairy industry to strengthen the foundation of human health and advance global well-being!
Finally, I wish this conference great success! Thank you all!