(Yicai) June 19 -- A record number of participants, including government officials, business leaders and academics, will gather at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, in China’s Dalian later this month for the first time in five years to discuss future business trends.

More than 1,600 guests from the business, political and academic circles as well as social and international organizations in close to 80 countries and regions have registered to attend the conference, which runs from June 25 to June 27, Yicai learned at the press conference yesterday.

Themed ‘Next Frontiers for Growth,’ the conference has attracted more than 100 politicians, 900 business leaders, 130 academic and opinion leaders, 70 media representatives and 120 youth leaders from around the world, said Chen Liming, chairman of WEF China. Sixty percent of the participants are from China and the rest are from abroad.

Discussions will mainly revolve around six topics, namely a new global economy, China and the world, entrepreneurship in the age of AI, new frontiers for industries, investing in people, as well as connecting climate, nature and energy, Chen said. This year's event is also bigger than before, offering more than 200 events and about 50 online meetings, he added.

In the past five years, the world has gone through profound changes, Chen said. On the one hand, climate changes, geopolitical conflicts and trade frictions have resulted in a series of difficulties. On the other hand, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing and energy transformation are developing rapidly. Against this backdrop, how humans work together to tackle multiple challenges is a crucial topic for the entire globe, he added.

“We hope to showcase Chinese modernization at the AMNC, in order to let the rest of the world learn more about China, and attract more foreign funds to invest in China’s new development pattern,” said Pan Jiang, director of the National Development and Reform Commission’s Department of International Cooperation.

China initiated the Summer Davos forum in 2007, aiming to provide businesses with development potential with a platform for cooperation and dialogue. Dalian and Tianjin took turns to hold the forum but the event was halted from 2020 to 2022 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last year the conference took place in Tianjin.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor