Summer Davos to open in Dalian with record participation, focusing on scaling innovation

The World Economic Forum's 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos forum, will be held in Dalian, Liaoning province, from June 23 to 25. More than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries and regions will attend the meeting, setting a new record for registered participation, the organizers said at a news conference on Tuesday in Beijing.

Themed "Innovating at Scale", the meeting will explore how innovation can be scaled and unlock wider economic growth. The programme will address global challenges and how Asia's dynamic best practices can drive renewed collaboration for economic progress.

The forum is expected to showcase China's achievements in high-quality economic development to the international community, convey the country's firm confidence in opening up and cooperation, said Gao Weiqi, deputy director-general of the department of international cooperation at the National Development and Reform Commission.

Li Qiang, mayor of Dalian, noted that leveraging the city's strengths and industrial characteristics, Dalian will organize in-depth exchanges centered on building a modern maritime city, and will roll out a series of events focusing on the energy and chemical industry to deeply connect with high-end global resources.

This is the ninth time the northeastern port city will host the Summer Davos forum.

The first Summer Davos forum was held in Dalian in September 2007, and since then the event has rotated between Dalian and Tianjin.