The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions was held in Dalian, Liaoning Province, from June 23 to 25. Photo: IC PHOTO

The World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos forum, was held in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning Province, from June 23 to 25. More than 1,700 participants from over 90 countries and regions attended the meeting to explore how technology and innovation can be translated into economic progress and job creation. This year’s meeting, themed “Innovating at Scale,” featured discussions on issues including the changing trade landscape, China’s next chapter, technology in the real economy, jobs for the next generation, and the energy transition as a source of competitiveness. In interviews with CSST, experts shared their insights on these key themes, offering perspectives on how economies can adapt and thrive in an era of profound change.

Redrawing map of global trade

In today’s world of escalating geopolitical frictions and the rapid restructuring of global supply chains, traditional theories of comparative advantage are losing their practical relevance. Bruno S. Sergi, an instructor from the Harvard Extension School at Harvard University, told CSST that as the current global “de-risking” narrative plays out, Asian nations can forge new pathways to trade prosperity by focusing on digital trade agreements, promoting regional value chains, and investing in green technologies. As an example, Sergi pointed to China’s “AI Plus” initiative, which aims to achieve 90% AI penetration by 2030, demonstrating the country’s commitment to AI-driven growth. Asian nations can also establish AI regulatory systems that integrate governance, industrial policy, and risk management. By embracing openness and cooperation, he said, they can reduce uncertainty associated with de-risking and create new opportunities for trade growth.

Nadia Helmy, an associate professor of political science from the Faculty of Politics and Economics at Beni-Suef University in Egypt, told CSST that companies and countries are reshaping supply chains around flexibility, economic security, and geographic proximity. Asian countries can leverage institutional opening-up and regional cooperation mechanisms through several strategic avenues, she explained. Expanding on this, Helmy explained that this includes moving beyond tariff reductions to harmonize rules, standards, and regulations while facilitating investment, thereby reducing cross-border operating costs and creating a stable and attractive business environment. She added that it also involves making better use of frameworks such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to boost intra-regional trade and achieve integration within regional value chains. Investing in modern technologies is equally essential, particularly by accelerating digital transformation, advancing AI applications, and promoting clean energy development, all of which are reshaping sources of comparative advantage, she said.

Technological commercialization

Sergi noted that the theme of this year’s forum emphasizes moving technology from the laboratory into large-scale industrial application to drive global economic growth. In his view, the main bottlenecks preventing cutting-edge technologies from crossing the so-called “valley of death” include funding shortages, regulatory hurdles, and insufficient collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. To bridge this gap, a new ecosystem is needed—one that fosters closer cooperation among universities, research institutions, and industry. He also stressed that government support and regulation are crucial in promoting AI adoption, noting that a supportive ecosystem can accelerate the industrial-scale application of technologies such as AI, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.

For Helmy, bridging this gap depends on rethinking the relationship between research, regulation, and industry. “It requires a new collaborative ecosystem that transcends traditional models. Linking innovation to the real economy as discussed at the Summer Davos in Dalian requires building an integrated ecosystem based on providing flexible regulatory environments that allow researchers to test their innovations in the real world without bureaucratic hurdles.” Such an ecosystem, she continued, must also include “creating workspaces that bring together industrial engineers and academics to facilitate the transformation of patents into viable industrial prototypes.” Combining government investment with private venture capital to support projects until they reach commercial maturity is another essential component, she noted.

Shift to lifelong learning model

Sergi emphasized that AI-driven structural unemployment and skills mismatches demand a more resilient lifelong learning system. Public policies and educational institutions must adapt proactively, he said, through large-scale AI skills training, re-employment programs, and measures that direct innovation toward job creation. Governments can incentivize businesses to invest in employee training, while educational institutions should prioritize skills development, critical thinking, and adaptability. These efforts, he suggested, are essential to turning technological change into broader opportunity. “By building a culture of lifelong learning, we can create genuine employment opportunities for the next generation,” he said.

“The current gap lies in the slow response of education systems to the pace of AI development, necessitating a shift from a ‘one-time education’ model to a ‘lifelong learning’ model,” Helmy said. Public policy should be adjusted to support labor-market flexibility through several measures: government-supported digital accounts that provide citizens with periodic financial credits for ongoing training, flexible social safety nets that offer temporary financial support during career transitions and retraining, and updated laws covering remote and freelance work while guaranteeing workers’ rights in the digital economy. She also emphasized that educational institutions need to collaborate closely with technology companies, adopt more flexible teaching methods, integrate students into real working environments where they can apply AI technology throughout the learning process, and focus on cultivating skills that are difficult for AI to replicate, such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and leadership.

New chapter

Sergi said that the development of new quality productive forces is both an inherent requirement and a key focus for promoting the high-quality development of China’s economy. In his view, the relationship between policy guidance and market-driven forces is crucial to facilitating this transition. He cited China’s “AI Plus” initiative as a prime example, noting that it sets targets for integrating AI into six key sectors: science and technology, industry, consumption, public well-being, governance, and global cooperation. Policy guidance can help address market failures and support strategic industries, while market-driven forces can promote innovation and efficiency, he explained. China’s focus on practical AI applications, such as smart manufacturing and healthcare, can also help advance these goals, he added.

Sergi also addressed the global push for green transformation, noting that as carbon neutrality becomes a shared international goal, more countries are treating green transformation as a new frontier of industrial competition. For developing countries, however, the challenge is especially complex: they must reconcile short-term growth pressures with the longer-term task of building green competitiveness. In his opinion, governments can ease this transition through policies such as carbon pricing, green subsidies, and investment in clean infrastructure. At the same time, technological innovation can lower the cost of going green, while market-based mechanisms such as carbon pricing can create stronger incentives for sustainable practices.

Helmy approached the energy transition in similar strategic terms. “Energy transition is no longer merely an environmental necessity; it is also an inevitable choice at the economic and strategic levels,” she said. In her view, continued economic expansion and population growth are driving global demand for electricity that is cleaner, cheaper, and safer. The rise of artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing, she added, is exerting even more pressure, as both require enormous quantities of electricity and raw materials. Countries that manage this transition successfully, she said, will gain significant competitive advantages, while those that fall behind may face mounting economic and environmental risks.

Helmy further noted that China’s support for the Global South extends beyond innovation and AI. While helping developing countries bridge the gap between technological achievements and economic returns, China is also paying close attention to clean energy, infrastructure construction, investment and financing, and the creation of a competitive and sustainable framework for energy transition. Balancing short-term growth with green competitiveness, she elaborated, requires moving beyond the “environment versus growth” paradigm toward a “sustainable growth” model, in which green investment lowers operating costs and opens access to new export markets. To achieve this balance, she said, developing countries need a strategy that combines targeted innovation with smart market mechanisms—for example, prioritizing renewable energy projects, bypassing polluting stages of industrialization through the direct adoption of clean transportation and smart grid technologies, and requiring environmental technology transfer and the localization of clean energy jobs when attracting foreign investment.