"Summer Davos" in China: How is the next wave of innovation being shaped?
As the World Economic Forum moved to China for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, Dalian transformed once again into the meeting ground for world leaders and international business leaders. From 23–25 June under the theme “Innovating at Scale”, more than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries gathered to discuss international business, with extra attention given to moving technological breakthroughs beyond laboratories and into real economic impact.
The forum took place at a time of rapid technological change and global economic uncertainty, with discussions focused on innovation, artificial intelligence, energy transition, industrial transformation, and the future of global growth. Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the opening plenary address to many of the world's business leaders and high representatives from South Korea, Malaysia, Montenegro, and many other economies looking to strengthen international cooperation and investment ties.
China’s focus: turning innovation into growth
In his opening remarks, Premier Li Qiang highlighted innovation as a central driver of China’s future economic development. Speaking as China enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan, Li described the economy as demonstrating “stability, innovation, vitality and integration” despite a challenging global environment.
A key theme of his speech was the need to bridge the gap between technological research and large-scale application. Innovation, he argued, was not only about creating new technologies, but about successfully bringing them into industries and society. China’s development model had increasingly focused on connecting technological progress with industrial upgrading, creating a cycle in which innovation drove growth and market demand encouraged further innovation.
He also emphasized the importance of international cooperation, calling for more open collaboration, stable global supply chains, and continued engagement between businesses across borders.
A Benelux perspective: innovation through collaboration
For the Benelux region, Summer Davos highlights the continued importance of international cooperation in areas like sustainability, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, and technology.
Benelux companies brought strong expertise in several key areas such as advanced manufacturing, biotech and finance, with the likes of Philips, ASML, Solvay, ArcelorMittal, ING and many others all in attendance.
For these companies, Summer Davos represents more than a networking opportunity. It provided a platform to translate global challenges into practical cooperation and new business opportunities.
As global markets become increasingly interconnected, innovation depends not only on technological breakthroughs, but also on the ability to scale solutions through international partnerships. The discussions in Dalian demonstrated that, despite a complex global environment, China and the Benelux continue to share opportunities for cooperation in shaping the industries of the future.