By Guo Xiaohong, reporting from Dalian
Participants in the 2009 "Annual Meeting for the New Champions,” as the Summer Davos Meeting is officially known, have high hopes that the meeting will contribute to putting the world economy back on the path to growth.
The meeting will run from September 10 to 12 in port city of Dalian, in China's northeastern Province of Liaoning. More than 1,300 industrialists, politicians and thinkers from 86 countries will discuss the conference theme of re-launching growth.
Mohammad Ahmad Al-Ghouti, CEO of the Jordan Royal Scientific Society, told China.org.cn yesterday that he wanted to share experiences with international colleagues and hoped to learn state-of-the-art innovation methods from business leaders and veteran scientists and take these ideas back to Jordan.
He added that the meeting is an opportunity for him to get to know China at first hand, as the country is helping lead the world economy out of recession. He said China's stimulus package was an excellent example for the rest of the world and hoped other countries would learn from China.
Most participants expressed concern about the global financial crisis and said reviving economic growth would remain the priority for policy-makers and business leaders in 2009.
Aaron McCormack, CEO of British Telecommunications PLC (BT) said he wanted to discuss possible modifications to the West's pre-crisis model of economic development, and try to move to a consensus on what needs to be done.
"I am here to listen to people, learn from China and discuss with colleagues here about what we are doing differently for the future,” said McCormack. "China helps the world by its own examples and economic strength, and the most important of all is to understand the way China is managing its economy.”
Bjarte Reve, CEO of Norwegian Oslo Cancer Cluster is looking for opportunities to cooperate on health care and cancer research and hopes to get to understand Chinese business and society better. Reve's organization is part of an international oncology clinical trial network that rapidly translates research results into cancer treatment.
Reve added that bringing people with different views together is the right way to know each other and explore ways of pulling together to get back on the path to growth.
Chinese participants also hailed the summer Davos meeting as a platform for people with different views to explore solutions to international issues. Liu Zhouwei, editor-in-chief of the Guangzhou-based 21st Century Business Herald, is one of 100 media leaders attending the meeting. He said he expects fresh and practical solutions to world economic issues to emerge from the meeting; for example the need for renewed attention to business ethics in the wake of financial crisis.
"The important thing for the people meeting here is to learn the lessons of the current recession so we can prevent it happening again in the future,” Liu said.
The Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2009 opens on September 10 with an address by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
Profile of World Economic Forum
The WEF was founded in 1971 as an independent organization committed to improving the state of the world by helping form partnerships to shape global, regional and industrial agendas.
Business members and partners are at the heart of the WEF. Members include 1,000 of the world's foremost companies, encompassing regional market leaders and organizations shaping the future of their industries.
The small Swiss town of Davos hosts the World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual winter summits. China's northeastern port city of Dalian hosted the first, and this week is hosting the third, Summer Davos meeting. Tianjin hosted the second Summer Davos in 2008.
(China.org.cn September 10, 2009)