On June 24, China Premier Li Qiang attended the opening ceremony of the 17th Summer Davos Forum in Dalian and delivered a speech. Political leaders from multiple countries, including Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique, Guinea Prime Minister Uriba, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Bektenov, South Korea Prime Minister Kim Min-sik, Mongolia Prime Minister Ukhirle, and Montenegro Prime Minister Spajic, along with approximately 1,800 representatives from over 90 countries and regions worldwide, participated in this prestigious event.
This year’s forum is themed “Large-Scale Innovation.” Liang Jinhui, Executive Director of the World Economic Forum, noted that our era is driven by cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum technology, and biomanufacturing. “The core of technological innovation lies in creating a’ stunning impact, ‘but large-scale innovation aims far beyond that—while we once marveled at the leap in AI computing power and breakthroughs in quantum computing, today we focus more on how to bring these technologies out of laboratories and integrate them into manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, and even the very fabric of daily life.” The forum featured five key topics: trade transformation, China’s economic outlook, technological development in the real economy, next-generation employment, and promoting a competitive energy transition.
The reason why the Dalian Summer Davos has attracted such widespread attention lies fundamentally in Asia being endowed with unprecedented weight. According to data from the World Economic Forum, Asia contributes 60% of global economic growth, with five of the world’s top ten innovation clusters located there—three of which are in China—and 60% of the world’s leading AI companies originate from Asia, nearly half of which are based in China. Mirreke Dussick, Executive Director of the World Economic Forum, candidly stated: “Leaders around the world face the same challenge, which is why they are keen to understand the development models underpinning China’s large-scale implementation of artificial intelligence and various energy technologies.” China is not only a participant in global innovation but also a key driver of its large-scale application. In this sense, Premier Li Qiang’s speech at this forum goes far beyond merely outlining national policies; it represents a direct response to the global agenda for innovation governance.
China has established a predictable cooperation framework through institutional openness. In contrast to the United States’ “small courtyard and high walls,” China has steadily expanded its institutional openness. The 15th Five-Year Plan Outline specifically outlines measures to enhance high-level opening-up. From eliminating restrictions in the manufacturing sector to expanding market access in services, finance, and pharmaceuticals; from regularly holding roundtable meetings with foreign-funded enterprises to establishing dedicated task forces for key foreign investment projects—China is providing global investors with stable expectations through systematic institutional arrangements. A vice president of Corning Incorporated stated that the action plan “provides us with a clearer development path and stronger innovation safeguards.”
The institutional advantages of China provide a sustainable driving force for innovation. The ability to concentrate resources on major tasks is a distinctive strength of China’s socialist system with Chinese characteristics, and its robust organizational capacity enables the country to mobilize all positive factors and continuously allocate resources to the most critical areas. The institutional advantage of a unified national strategy coupled with this innovative approach to resource concentration has allowed China to maintain strategic focus in fields requiring long-term investment, such as basic research and breakthroughs in key technologies. The formulation and implementation of five-year plans ensure the continuity of development strategies—from the first Five-Year Plan to the outset of the current 15th Five-Year Plan—providing stable policy expectations and sustained resource support for innovation. It is precisely these institutional strengths that have enabled China to steadily rise in the global innovation landscape: according to data from the World Intellectual Property Organization, five of the world’s top ten innovation clusters are located in Asia, three of which are in China.
Openness and cooperation are the foundation of a sustainable future. Protectionism cannot safeguard competitiveness, which is a fundamental lesson in human economic development. China has chosen a completely different path—promoting cooperation through openness and fostering innovation through cooperation. As Premier Li Qiang stated, China’s integration with the world has never been a temporary measure but rather a strategic move that aligns with historical trends and is rooted in its own development philosophy.
Amid the multiple uncertainties facing the global economy, China’s development model—backed by institutional advantages, driven by open cooperation, and propelled by large-scale innovation—provides the world with a viable alternative to protectionism. For the global business community, “China Opportunity 2.0” is not an empty slogan; it represents the continuously open market space of a 140-trillion-yuan economy, trade facilitation created by zero-tariff policies across 63 countries, expanding investment opportunities following the lifting of manufacturing restrictions, and a predictable institutional environment established through 15 measures to stabilize foreign investment. China sincerely welcomes enterprises from around the world to invest and operate in China, sharing more of its new development opportunities—not as a temporary measure, but as a long-term commitment made by a major open country to the wo