2026 Summer Davos: Global Leaders Gather in Dalian, China

The 2026 Summer Davos Forum — officially the World Economic Forum’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions — opened on June 23 in Dalian, Liaoning Province, bringing together over 1,700 participants from more than 90 countries and regions. Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered the keynote address on June 24, emphasizing China’s innovation-driven development and calling for strengthened global cooperation in an era of economic uncertainty and rapid technological change, as Xinhua News reported.

Context: A Forum at a Critical Juncture

The three-day forum, held under the theme “Innovating at Scale” (规模化创新), arrives at a moment of significant global economic headwinds. The International Monetary Fund has downgraded its 2026 global growth forecast to 3.1%, down from 3.4% in 2025, citing persistent geopolitical tensions and trade fragmentation. The World Economic Forum noted that this year’s meeting provides “an important opportunity for representatives from all sectors to explore practical solutions” against a backdrop of economic uncertainty and rapid technological change.

2026 also marks the first year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which prioritizes high-level opening up, AI development, advanced manufacturing, and new energy sectors. China’s high-tech manufacturing value-added grew over 15% year-on-year in May 2026, while industrial robot monthly output exceeded 100,000 units for the first time — figures that underscore the country’s accelerating innovation trajectory.

Key Developments: Premier Li’s Vision and the Five Pillars

Premier Li Qiang’s opening ceremony address on June 24 struck a confident tone, presenting China’s innovation story as one of perseverance and ecosystem-building. “China’s innovation is ‘fought out’ through hard work, ‘used out’ through thousands of industries, and ‘cultivated out’ through a thriving ecosystem,” Li said, according to the Chinese Embassy in the US. He emphasized that China’s emerging technologies bring “not impact but opportunity, not threat but empowerment” to the world, directly addressing concerns about technology decoupling and trade tensions.

The forum’s agenda is organized around five key pillars: navigating geopolitical shifts, understanding China’s next development phase, leveraging technology for economic output, creating jobs for the next generation, and coordinating climate and energy systems for competitiveness. Over 200 sessions are being held, with more than 15 research reports released and 50+ sessions live-streamed to the public.

AI Takes Center Stage

Artificial intelligence emerged as the dominant thread running through the forum’s discussions, with over 10 dedicated sessions. A notable shift from previous years was the focus on AI implementation challenges rather than hype — infrastructure, regulation, skills development, and real-world economic impact took center stage. As Mirek Dušek, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, noted: “The core issue for future global growth is how to ensure the opportunities brought by AI technology and its applications are more widely shared.”

Jonas Prising, Chairman and CEO of ManpowerGroup, told attendees that while many countries are deploying AI, “China’s development achievements are particularly outstanding, with astonishing speed.” Liu Minghua, CEO of Deloitte China, observed that China’s innovation is “moving from ‘point breakthroughs’ to ‘innovation at scale,’” with cutting-edge technologies rapidly transforming into real productivity through the country’s vast industrial ecosystem.

Top 10 Emerging Technologies Report

On the opening day, the forum released its flagship “Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2026” report, identifying technologies most likely to reshape industries over the next five years. The list includes ubiquitous grid connectivity, direct lithium extraction, passive radiative cooling materials, PFAS degradation technology, precision fermentation, exosome drug delivery, personalized mRNA cancer vaccines, quantum simulation for drug discovery, world models, and lattice cryptography. The technologies reflect three clear trends: personalization, distributed deployment, and high-efficiency resource utilization.

Sustainability and Green Transition

The forum itself embodied the sustainability principles it promotes. The Dalian International Conference Center achieved 100% green electricity supply, and over 80% of service vehicles were new energy vehicles. Notably, energy and climate discussions were framed not merely as environmental obligations but as competitiveness imperatives — a significant framing shift that positions sustainability as a driver of economic advantage rather than a constraint.

Analysis: China’s Positioning and Geopolitical Undercurrents

The forum serves as a prominent platform for China to showcase its technological achievements and position itself as an innovation partner rather than merely a manufacturing hub. Premier Li’s narrative of “China Opportunity 2.0” signals a strategic shift from China as a market to China as a technology source and innovation collaborator. This comes at a time when global trade fragmentation and technology export controls are creating significant crosscurrents in international economic relations.

Gao Weiqi, Deputy Director-General of the NDRC International Cooperation Department, extended an explicit invitation to global businesses: “2026 is the first year of China’s ‘15th Five-Year Plan.’ China is advancing Chinese-style modernization through high-quality development… Welcome global business communities to actively participate in China’s modernization process.”

What’s Next

As the forum concludes on June 25, key questions remain: What concrete cooperation agreements and investment deals will emerge from the 200+ sessions? How will international business leaders respond to Premier Li’s call for deeper engagement with China’s innovation ecosystem? And can the forum’s emphasis on open cooperation gain traction amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and technology decoupling pressures? The answers will shape not only the forum’s legacy but the trajectory of global economic cooperation in the months ahead.