Seeking the path to development through innovative cooperation: 2024 Summer Davos Forum gathers strength for joint progress
In midsummer, along the Dalian Bay, everything is in full bloom, guests are flocking, and the world's attention is once again focused on China.
The 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions of the World Economic Forum was held in Dalian from June 25 to 27. Over three days, about 200 meetings were held, and about 1,700 representatives from more than 100 countries and regions gathered together to seek ways to develop in response to the changing world.
From the snow-covered Swiss town to the charming coastal city, the Davos Forum, known as the "barometer of the world economy", conveys a strong message of innovation, openness and cooperation, and sends a signal that all parties should work together to build an open world economy.
Deepening consensus: Responding to global challenges with innovation-driven development
On the morning of the 25th, the forum focusing on "How will future growth develop" on the third floor of Dalian International Conference Center was packed.
The world economic growth rate is slowing down, the economies of scale are weakening, more business fields are changing from "blue ocean" to "red ocean", and competition is intensifying... Facing the dilemma of world economic growth, what is the driving force for future development?
"We must make full use of the power of science and technology to make it serve us better," said Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General. For example, when it comes to artificial intelligence, we must maximize its advantages while also working to reduce risks and promote inclusive development.
In the view of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) Group Chief Executive Officer, Alan Chan, green transformation is an important growth point to promote economic development. For many investors, China is a potential market that can provide diversified and sustainable growth opportunities.
On June 25, guests attended the sub-forum on "How will future growth develop?" Photo by reporter Yang Qing
At the Summer Davos Forum, topics such as green energy and AI were very popular. The consensus reached at the forum was to seize new opportunities for industrial transformation and tap into new blue oceans for economic development through innovation and cooperation.
Klaus Schwab, Chairman of the World Economic Forum, pointed out that in order to drive future economic growth, it is necessary to embrace innovation, promote cooperation across sectors, regions, countries and cultures, and create a more peaceful, inclusive, sustainable and resilient future.
Many guests at the meeting believed that China's active development of new quality productive forces and promotion of high-quality development will not only enhance the resilience and confidence of its own development, but also add new vitality to the global economy and provide more cooperation opportunities for companies from all over the world.
This is the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Davos Forum, taken on June 25. Photo by reporter Yang Qing
Today, China's installed capacity of renewable energy has exceeded 50%, and the export of the "new three items" has exceeded 1 trillion yuan. "Everyone is talking about energy transformation, but China has actually done it." Song Ben, CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, said that China has not only enriched the supply of the international market in terms of manufacturing and innovation, but also made positive contributions to addressing climate change.
The rapid growth of new industries and new drivers has strongly supported the sustained and healthy development of China's economy. In the first quarter, China's economy grew by 5.3% year-on-year, achieving a good start. In May, indicators such as total retail sales of consumer goods, total imports and exports of goods, and national industrial added value above designated size all showed positive performance, and the economy continued to recover and improve.
Optimistic about China's economic development prospects, international organizations have raised their expectations for China's economic growth. After the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for China's economic growth this year to 5%, the World Bank recently raised it by another 0.3 percentage points.
"I am deeply impressed by the vitality unleashed by the Chinese economy." Polish President Duda said at the opening ceremony of the forum that China's economy has continued to grow in recent years, and its contribution to world economic growth has remained at around 30%, and it remains a key driving force for global economic growth.
"In the future, global issues such as technological innovation represented by AI and climate change involving energy transformation will require China's participation," said Hu Zuoliu, founder and chairman of Primavera Capital. China's industry is huge and has abundant human resources. "In the past, China was considered a fast follower, but now it has undoubtedly become one of the largest independent innovators."
Seize opportunities: Open up development space with new technologies and new concepts
On the first floor of the Summer Davos Forum, an area called "Heartbeat Space" attracts people to stop and take a look. By placing both hands on the sensor, artificial intelligence technology can identify the heartbeat and describe the color of the mood, forming a personal "heartbeat signature".
On another stand, there was a uniquely shaped pure electric racing car named "Racing with Electronic Waste". This racing car was made entirely of discarded electronic waste such as smartphones, laptops, game consoles, cables, etc., highlighting the concept of recycling.
A pure electric racing car named "Racing with Electronic Waste" was photographed at the first floor booth of Dalian International Conference Center on June 26. Photo by reporter Yang Qing
High-tech elements can be seen everywhere in the conference hall; at the forum, "global new economy", "entrepreneurship in the era of artificial intelligence", "new frontiers of industry" and other topics have become hot topics, which are in line with the theme of this Summer Davos Forum - "New Frontiers for Future Growth".
At the cultural dinner of the Summer Davos Forum, the voice-interactive humanoid robot developed by Dalian TIS Technology Development Co., Ltd. attracted much attention. "She" has delicate makeup and elegant movements, and can interact with guests in Chinese and English.
"Humanoid robots are the jewel in the crown of the robotics industry, integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing, and new materials." Li Boyang, co-founder of the company, said that the combination of artificial intelligence and robots will incubate more new technologies and new application scenarios, creating greater imagination space for the development of related industries.
A pure electric racing car named "Racing with Electronic Waste" was photographed at the first floor booth of Dalian International Conference Center on June 25. Photo by reporter Li Gang
Computing power is becoming the core force driving the development of the digital economy. Zhang Lei, chairman of Envision Technology Group, said that Envision has helped promote the development of AI computing power by innovating a "new generation of green energy solutions for data centers" to increase the proportion of green electricity supply in data centers and reduce computing power costs.
"The rapid development of new technologies can benefit more developing countries." Rwanda's Minister of Information and Communication Technology and Innovation, Bola Ingabire, is very concerned about the development of AI. He believes that AI can help Rwanda and the entire Africa cope with challenges such as food safety and resource shortages.
Careful observation reveals that the "green content" of the Summer Davos Forum is constantly increasing: this year's main venue achieved 100% "green electricity" supply; the air-conditioning system uses seawater for cooling and heat exchange; 80% of the service and support vehicles are new energy vehicles...the green and low-carbon characteristics are more prominent.
A welcome sign in front of the Dalian International Conference Center, the main venue of the Summer Davos Forum, photographed on June 24. Photo by reporter Li Gang
Trina Solar Co., Ltd. has participated in the Summer Davos Forum for many consecutive years. Today, the company has established manufacturing bases in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and other places, with business covering more than 170 countries and regions around the world. "The green development advocated by China not only provides more clean and renewable energy options, but also provides opportunities for local economic growth and employment improvement." said Gao Haichun, director of the company.
More than half of the world's new energy vehicles are running in China, and a quarter of the world's new green area comes from China... A broader market will bring greater development opportunities.
"China is one of the most important markets for Johnson Controls. We will follow the development trend of China's manufacturing industry towards high-end, green and intelligent development, deeply cultivate the Chinese market for a long time, and work with industry partners to promote green and low-carbon development." said Lang Zhiwen, President of Johnson Controls Asia Pacific.
Service upgrade, tap into new "blue ocean" markets——
What opportunities are contained in the "micro-mobility" market with huge potential? How can we make digital work better serve us? How can we encourage companies to contribute to the prosperity of global e-commerce... At the forum, guests exchanged views and envisioned the future around new technologies, new concepts and new trends.
China has a population of more than 1.4 billion, with more than 400 million middle-income people. New models and new formats nurtured by the super-large-scale market are developing rapidly. It is estimated that China is expected to cultivate multiple pillar industries with a scale of more than one trillion US dollars in new tracks such as artificial intelligence, green energy, and biopharmaceuticals.
"China's consumption is shifting from consumption of necessities to development-oriented and service-oriented consumption. With the support of artificial intelligence, industries such as education, health, entertainment, and tourism will have greater development potential," said Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
Working together: Promoting open, inclusive and sustainable development through win-win cooperation
Not far from the Summer Davos Forum venue, Dalian International Conference Center, Dalian Exchange Plaza, which integrates business office buildings, conference and exhibition centers, is full of international style. In March this year, Japan's largest comprehensive financial services provider, Orix Group, moved its China headquarters here. In 2009, through the Summer Davos Forum, Orix became connected with Dalian. As it was optimistic about China's development prospects, it started investing in Dalian and more than 30 other Chinese cities.
On June 25, after the opening ceremony of the Summer Davos Forum, the guests left the venue. Photo by reporter Yang Qing
"ORIX is a participant, witness and beneficiary of the continuous optimization of China's business environment. China's determination to continue to expand its opening-up has also strengthened our confidence in continuing to deepen our efforts," said Liu Guoping, Chairman of ORIX Group Greater China.
“If you don’t want to stay in Shanhaiguan, invest in Liaoning.” So far, Dalian has attracted more than 17,000 foreign-invested enterprises, and a total of 124 Fortune 500 companies have invested in 288 projects in Dalian.
In the view of the guests, China is constantly expanding its high-level opening-up, creating a world-class business environment, and continuously building a "strong magnetic field" to attract foreign investment.
On June 26, guests participated in the interactive space discussion at the Dalian International Conference Center, the main venue of the Summer Davos Forum. Photo by reporter Li Gang
Further improving the payment convenience for people coming to China from abroad, issuing the "Action Plan for Solidly Advancing High-Level Opening-up and Attracting and Utilizing Foreign Investment with Greater Efforts", and releasing the national version of the negative list for cross-border service trade for the first time... Since the beginning of this year, a number of high-level opening-up measures have been accelerated, further broadening the space for foreign investment, optimizing the business environment, and enhancing foreign investment's confidence in development in China.
The best proof of the vitality of open development is the "vote with feet" of foreign capital. In the first five months of this year, the number of newly established foreign-invested enterprises in China increased by 17.4% year-on-year, continuing the trend of rapid growth of newly established enterprises since last year, and the actual use of foreign capital is still at a historical high.
At the forum, China once again declared its determination to continue promoting the construction of an open economy and creating a blue ocean for future economic development, and put forward four initiatives - deepening scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation, laying a solid foundation for green development, maintaining an open market environment, and promoting inclusive and equitable development.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the opening ceremony of the forum that developing countries such as China and Vietnam have become new drivers of world economic growth. If they want to make good use of cutting-edge technologies, they need to conduct extensive dialogues, pay full attention to the interests of all parties, and cooperate to deal with global issues.
Participants at the meeting believed that decoupling and breaking chains, as well as building walls in small courtyards, will only increase the cost of economic operations and intensify conflicts and disputes. It is necessary to uphold the concept of openness and cooperation, and open up new horizons for one's own development while making the common pie bigger.
Xu Yang, president of Danfoss China, a supplier of energy efficiency solutions, is deeply touched by this. Danfoss, which has been deeply involved in the Chinese market for nearly 30 years, has made China one of the most important bases for its global manufacturing and R&D. This year, Danfoss plans to launch a high-efficiency variable frequency heat pump compressor in Europe. "This product is based on the company's original technology platform in the Chinese market, and it has achieved 'in China' and 'for the world'," said Xu Yang.
This is a photo taken on June 15 of the Dalian International Conference Center, the main venue of the Summer Davos Forum. Photo by reporter Yang Qing
Not far from the venue, the sound of waves can be heard. Dalian International Conference Center is like a surging wave in the sea, carrying more powerful voices of innovation, openness and cooperation, rushing to more corners of the world.
