The 2025 Summer Davos Forum, officially known as the 16th Annual Meeting of New Champions of the World Economic Forum (WEF), is set to take place in Tianjin Municipality, north China, from June 24 to 26. With all preparations finalized, the forum is poised to bring together approximately 1,800 participants from over 90 countries and regions, marking a record attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic. This reflects a significant global interest in gaining firsthand insights into China's evolution, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence (AI) and the broader innovation ecosystem, as well as exploring potential business opportunities and partnerships.

This year's forum carries the theme, “Entrepreneurship in the New Era,” offering a timely opportunity for participants to delve into how entrepreneurial spirit can unlock economic growth potential amidst a backdrop of profound global challenges. Gim Huay Neo, managing director of the WEF, highlighted the current global landscape as one of “exceptional uncertainty,” characterized by economic volatility, rising tensions, major technological disruptions, and the escalating climate emergency. She emphasized that the world is undergoing a fundamental economic transformation, with geopolitics, technology, sustainability, and demographic shifts reshaping traditional growth engines. Complex and shared challenges necessitate urgent cooperation, innovative thinking, and, crucially, an entrepreneurial spirit.

The essence of the entrepreneurial spirit, as explained by Gong Ke, research lead for the 2025 Summer Davos topics, is rooted in innovation, social responsibility, and teamwork. He underscored its vital role as a new driving force and leader in economic development, asserting that “Entrepreneurs in the new era contribute to optimizing global resource utilization and promoting resource sharing, providing an important economic foundation for building a community with a shared future for humankind.” Gim Huay Neo further elaborated that this spirit is inherently solutions-oriented, inspiring hope and optimism by encouraging individuals and organizations to view challenges as opportunities. She stressed the importance of focusing on areas ripe for innovation to address future challenges while maintaining a long-term perspective.

The forum's discussions will be structured around five key areas: deciphering the world economy, outlook on China, industries disrupted, investing in people and the planet, and new energy and materials. China's economic growth model, increasingly driven by science and technology, has injected new vitality into its development. Li Jiayi, a member of the forum's preparation team, noted that AI, green energy, and China's innovative momentum are expected to be central topics of discussion among participants. Furthermore, China's commitment to high-level opening up and its willingness to share development opportunities with the rest of the world were reaffirmed by Chen Shuai, an official from the National Development and Reform Commission. Neo specifically lauded China's progress in green growth, recognizing how the country has transformed the global environmental crisis into an opportunity to revolutionize industries and stimulate the growth of new green sectors.

Established in 2007 through a collaborative effort between the WEF and China, the Annual Meeting of the New Champions began as an initiative to spotlight emerging economies and future-oriented businesses. Over the years, it has evolved into a leading global platform for economic dialogue. Now in its 16th edition, the 2025 meeting reaffirms the forum's enduring commitment to fostering international cooperation and addressing complex global issues. The meeting aims to accelerate progress on shared imperatives and offer participants the opportunity to explore how entrepreneurship and emerging technologies can unlock more dynamic and resilient economies through action-oriented dialogues.