A press conference for the upcoming Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, also known as Summer Davos, is held in Beijing on June 17, 2025. Photo: Yin Yeping/GT

 
The Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025, or the Summer Davos, is set to kick off in North China's Tianjin from June 24-26, providing an excellent platform for representatives of governments, businesses, think tanks, and other sectors around the world to engage in dialogue and exchange ideas, an official of China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the top economic planner, announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

Under the theme "Entrepreneurship for a New Era," the Summer Davos centers its agenda around five key pillars: Deciphering the World Economy, Outlook on China, Industries Disrupted, Investing in People and Planet, and New Energy and Materials.

This year's forum will bring together more than 1,800 participants from more than 90 countries and regions, including representatives of the business community, government, civil society, and international organizations, according to the event organizer.

At least 44 senior political leaders from about 30 countries and regions are expected to attend, including 40 cabinet ministers. Fourteen global leaders from both the government and private sectors will serve as co-chairs of the meeting.

Amid ongoing shifts in the global economy and rapid technological change, this year's forum will explore how entrepreneurship and emerging technologies can help unlock new drivers of global growth.

As a key gathering of leading innovators, the forum will delve into concrete strategies for advancing transformative technologies, fostering innovative business models, and building new forms of partnership, the event organizer said, noting that at the same time, it will shine a spotlight on major emerging markets, with particular attention to China and the broader Asian region.

Speaking at the press conference, Chen Shuai, deputy director-general of the Department of International Cooperation at the NDRC, said that against the backdrop of rising unilateralism and protectionism, which pose serious challenges to multilateralism and free trade, the very convening of the forum sends a strong signal of support for economic globalization.

Through the upcoming Annual Meeting of the New Champions, China will showcase its remarkable achievements in high-quality economic development and reaffirm its commitment to high-level opening-up, Chen said, welcoming the global business community to actively engage in China's modernization journey and seize the opportunities arising from its pursuit of high-quality development.

As the most dynamic region in the world, Asia drives 60 percent of global economic growth, with China contributing half of that and leading in numerous innovations, technological advances, and industrial transformations, said Gim Huay Neo, managing director and member of the managing board of the World Economic Forum, at Tuesday's press conference.

Against this backdrop, the Annual Meeting of the New Champions will provide a platform for constructive dialogue and meaningful collaboration, enabling participants to deepen their understanding of trends and opportunities in China and Asia, and to gain insights into the region's vibrant and rapidly evolving innovation ecosystem, said Neo.