World Economic Forum Summer Davos in Dalian Calls for Scaling Innovation to Drive Growth and Jobs

The World Economic Forum’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026, dubbed “Summer Davos”, convened in Dalian, China, bringing together over 1,800 leaders from 90 countries and regions. The event, under the theme “Innovating at Scale”, hosted Chinese Premier Li Qiang and six other heads of government, along with senior business executives, academia and innovators.

More than 200 sessions examined how advances in artificial intelligence, energy systems, natural capital and digital transformation can be turned into tangible economic value. Speakers highlighted the need for partnership across government, business and academia to translate breakthroughs into the “next billion jobs” and to reshape competitiveness in an AI‑driven economy. Quotes included André Hoffmann noting that “technological progress is one of the most powerful tools for addressing the existential challenges of a growing global population,” Larry Fink stressing that “technology is creating new opportunities for growth across industries,” and Alois Zwinggi emphasizing the importance of closing the gap between potential and real‑world impact.

The forum also discussed the evolving geoeconomic landscape, US‑China trade relations, regional platforms such as APEC and ASEAN, and the role of “minilateral” agreements in sustaining global trade and prosperity.