Premier to deliver key speech at Tianjin forum

Summer Davos will bring together 1,500 representatives from 90 countries

Premier Li Qiang will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos Forum, to be held in Tianjin next week.

Themed "Entrepreneurship: The Driving Force of the Global Economy", the three-day event that starts on June 27 will bring to Tianjin some 1,500 representatives from more than 90 countries.

Li is scheduled to meet with Klaus Schwab, executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, and other foreign dignitaries, and hold talks with representatives of global entrepreneurs, according to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.

Barbados' Prime Minister Mia Mottley, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene, New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the forum and pay official visits to China on the margins of the annual meeting.

World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will also attend the forum.

Chen Liming, chair of Greater China at the World Economic Forum, said at a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday that this year's forum will focus on key issues concerning global economic recovery.

"We are very pleased that the forum can finally return to offline activities. And this year, the forum is held at a critical moment of global recovery," Chen said.

Noting that enterprises and entrepreneurs are the creators of social wealth and the driving force behind innovation, he said the core objectives of the annual meeting are to reinvigorate innovation vitality and entrepreneurial spirit in Asia and around the world, explore pathways to economic recovery, and promote a more equitable, sustainable and resilient future for the world economy.

Chen said this year's forum will continue to uphold a position of neutrality and impartiality and promote dialogue between the public and private sectors and conversations between the East and West.

By doing so, it aims to address challenges faced globally, including overall economic growth, the food crisis, energy transition and the climate crisis, he said.

Gao Jian, deputy director-general of the Department of International Cooperation at the National Development and Reform Commission, said the forum will provide a dialogue platform for political and business leaders and enhance better mutual understanding.

"The event will help participants gain a deeper understanding of China's economic performance, high-standard opening-up and strengthen their confidence in long-term investment in China," he said.

Yang Bing, vice-mayor of Tianjin, said the government of Tianjin aims to build the Annual Meeting of the New Champions into a key platform that serves diplomacy, deepens international dialogue and cooperation, and showcases Tianjin's image.

"We will make the meeting a green, innovative, open and dynamic international event," he said.

Contact the writers at mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn