The World Economic Forum’s Zero Annual Meeting of new leaders, also known as the “Summer Davos”, opened its first day in Tianjin on Sunday. The agenda will be structured around five main themes, including“Understanding the global economy”, “China outlook”, “Changing industries”, “Investing in humanity and the planet” and“New energy and materials”. The Forum is expected to bring together more than 1,800 participants from more than 90 countries and regions, a record number of participants. It is worth mentioning that the Singaporean Channel NewsAsia reported on the 24th that about 120 delegates from the Middle East and North Africa region attended the event, double the number last year.
The 2025 Summer Davos Forum was held Sunday in Tianjin. The picture shows the exchange of Chinese and foreign guests at the scene.
First day activity focuses on AI and new energy
The first day’s events focused on artificial intelligence (AI) , new energy and climate. For example, “Ai + ERA” discusses the current state of AI adoption and the impact of its application differences on business collaboration, and“Social Robots and Me” discusses how AI technology is driving the rapid development of social robots, how to deal with the challenges, opportunities and ethical considerations emerging in the man-machine relationship. There have also been forums focusing on the prospects for the energy transition, the shift in commitments by governments and businesses to address climate change, and the implications for industries that are ready for green growth in the future.
Global Times reporters in the exhibition area saw that AI products such as Android and brain-computer interactive devices had attracted many Chinese and foreign guests to stop and learn about them. In an interview with the global times, many of the participants praised the speed of China’s scientific and technological innovation, repeatedly mentioning DeepSeek and the“Hangzhou six dragons” in scientific and technological circles, and optimistic about the opportunities in the Chinese market, it is hoped that China’s scientific and technological development will become a new driving force for global economic growth and inject certainty into the world.
“Artificial intelligence, as the core driving force leading a new round of technological and Industrial Revolution, is injecting new momentum into the steady growth of the Chinese economy,” Campeaux, vice president of Cyrus Group, told the Global Times, “Not only does it promote economic growth through efficiency gains, but it also has a profound impact on restructuring the industrial ecosystem and fostering new qualitative productivity. For example, through the comprehensive introduction of artificial intelligence, digital twins, large-scale models and other technologies, the focus of innovation and security in-depth integration, the construction of the industry’s first to define the security scenario of the intelligent security protection system.”
Josh, executive vice president of a large Indian multinational automotive electronics company, told the Global Times that China is at the forefront of the development of electric vehicle technology, “So I came here to understand and learn how China has achieved such high-speed technological progress, which brings great opportunities to my company.”.
“China’s continued economic growth is a very positive thing.”
Mirek Ducek, executive director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) , said the increase in attendance this year was partly due to the changing geography of economic relations-asia is making an important contribution to global growth, “60 per cent of global GDP growth comes from Asia… and China’s importance as the world’s second-largest economy goes without saying.”
The current global geo-economic situation is treacherous and uncertain factors continue to emerge. In this context, the Chinese market presents resilience and multiple opportunities to attract external attention. Wang Ziyuan, president of the China-singapore Chamber of Commerce, told the global times that China is one of the most important overseas markets for Singapore companies, because its huge market size matches its hyper-fast innovation ecosystem-it often leads the world in e-commerce logistics, artificial intelligence applications and renewable energy.
Wang Ziyuan further said that the size, resilience and vitality of the Chinese market not only attract Singaporean enterprises to explore the Chinese market, this has prompted them to combine Singapore’s trusted regulatory framework, deep financial networks and ASEAN market links with Chinese technologies, products and platforms for regional and global adoption.
Chesapeake Cephas Malele, a representative of South African companies, told the global times that from a South African perspective, the continued growth of the Chinese economy was a very positive thing, because China is one of South Africa’s important trading partners, has a strong bilateral relationship. On the basis of this bilateral relationship, he said, “We are seeking to bring more investment from China to South Africa and increase trade between our two countries.”
On the first day of the annual meeting, a seminar entitled“Prospects for Chinese start-ups” was held on the development of China’s economy and business, and more discussions will follow. In an interview with the Global Times, Sheikh, head of the WEF’s activities editorial department, said there was a “Strong thirst for knowledge” about the state of the Chinese economy, especially considering that China’s economy is still expected to grow at 5% on a very large base, everyone wants to know what structural changes are taking place in the Chinese economy. In addition, China’s artificial intelligence ecosystem and energy ecosystem is also what many participants want to know.
UNREST is“Affecting the global economy”
The world is facing the“Most complex” geopolitical situation in decades, the president and chief executive of the World Economic Forum, Borg Bullard, told AFP on the 24th, and warned that the turmoil was“Affecting global growth”. According to the IMF, the global economy is expected to grow by 2.8% in 2025 and 3% in 2010,2026 to the global economy.
“Multilateralism and free trade are facing serious challenges,” said Chen Shuai, deputy director-general of the International Cooperation Department of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission Council, in this context, we believe that the convening of the annual meeting itself is a strong signal of support for economic globalization and a positive response.
According to Sheikh, the annual meeting will include a seminar on the Chinese consumer market and a panel discussion on the country’s new qualitative productivity, “Through the agenda, we hope to help participants understand where China’s growth is coming from, whether it is sustainable and what 5 per cent growth really means for the world economy.”
Morgan, Goldman Sachs and other international institutions have also raised their Chinese growth forecasts. In the interview, Cephas Malele told reporters that the Chinese economy will continue to grow, and given its large base, it will have a positive impact on the rest of the world.