The fifth Swire China Conference was held at Jing An Shangri-La, West Shanghai, on 25th October 2016. With 2016 marking the 200th anniversary of the Swire group, as well as 150 years since John Samuel Swire established the group's first China office in Shanghai in 1866, the event took on a special significance and a record of over 200 Swire executives from different divisions took part.

With the theme of "Change and Continuity", the conference covered topics ranging from opportunities and challenges of China's economic development, to entrepreneurship and China's external relations. An outstanding group of speakers were invited to share their insights and ideas, including Madam Shang Yuying, Chairwoman of the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Professor Bai Chongen, Executive Associate Dean of the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University, Mr Raymond Lim, Senior Advisor to the Swire group, and Mr Liu Junling, co-founder and former Chairman of leading e-commerce site, Yihaodian. The conference also featured case study presentations on Swire Pacific Cold Storage and the Chongqing New Qinyuan Bakery chain and a panel discussion.

The event ended on a high note with a celebration gala dinner, traditional Chinese folk art performances and a lucky draw.