The 15th edition of the Summer Davos began on Tuesday, focusing on green technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Chinese economy.
Out of the 162 sessions of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the official name of the event, 38 sessions were dedicated to the relationship between climate and energy, 26 addressed artificial intelligence, and 22 focused on the Chinese economy.
A quick look at the over 1,600 participants revealed that most of them had expertise in these areas. The event’s themes reflect today’s most dynamic aspects of the global economy, according to participants.
“WE MUST BE UNITED”
Forum participants unanimously recognized China’s leadership role in green technologies, stating that China’s technological progress and production capacity place it at the forefront of efforts to combat climate change.
“I see China as a potential leader due to its massive investments in the green technology sector and innovation, investments that can truly support sustainable development,” said Giorgia Ortolani, a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, in an interview with Xinhua News Agency. She added that China’s potential to emerge as a leader in sustainable development is colossal and could be a real game-changer globally.
Andrew Jones, co-director of Climate Interactive, a US-based climate research organization, told Xinhua that China’s solar photovoltaic energy is “successfully replacing a large part of gas and coal usage and contributing to climate change prevention.”
Fergal Whyte, director of Arup Group, remarked that China is expanding its solar parks, photovoltaic panels, and wind farms, ensuring a significant portion of the electricity needed by society.
Additionally, forum participants dismissed concerns about the so-called overcapacity of Chinese green products.
Jones stated that despite some resistance to China’s green technology in the United States, the American side still purchases many Chinese products.
“I even installed some Chinese solar panels on my roof,” he said. “I am confident that we will overcome this resistance because we share a common goal – addressing climate change. There will be more room for collaboration between China and the United States regarding tackling climate change, both in international agreements and in the entire economic space and available solutions,” Jones stated.
Whyte told Xinhua that Western concerns are not related to technology but are more a result of geopolitics.
“The technology is fantastic. I have no doubt that Chinese technology and electric vehicles will reach Europe, the United States, and the entire world,” he said. “Unfortunately, we live in extremely complex times where geopolitics is omnipresent, but we all must be united, take climate change into account, and collaborate to combat it,” Whyte added.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
Artificial intelligence is another topic dominating discussions at the forum, with China being seen by many participants as one of the main innovators in this field.
“I am particularly interested in AI and how it can be widely used, not just in technology but also in manufacturing and energy sectors, as well as for improving all economies,” said James Nunn-Price, Senior Managing Director at Accenture.
Thomas Liu, founder and CEO of Policy Nexus, stated to Xinhua that the application of artificial intelligence in industrial scenarios has enormous potential. AI would empower all industrial scenarios in various aspects, benefiting both the world and AI applications. China plays a particularly important role in applying AI industrial scenarios, Liu stated.
Tanvi Ratna, founder and CEO of the Indian research organization Policy 4.0, told Xinhua that as China becomes increasingly active in AI governance, it can contribute to the fairness of this technology.
THE CHINESE ECONOMY
Given the numerous challenges facing the global economy, the well-being of the Chinese economy is more important than ever.
Lourdes Casanova, Senior Lecturer at Cornell University’s Business School, told Xinhua that China’s traditionally export-based economy is increasingly shifting towards technology. Thus, China is becoming a leader in green industries and achieving remarkable performance in biotechnology and AI.
If it maintains low production costs, high export levels, and invests massively in technology in the long term, China can keep its economy in excellent shape, she emphasized.
After listening to Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s speech at the forum, Ratna firmly stated that it indicates China’s commitment to market-driven growth.
“While in many countries people are becoming increasingly protectionist, China is opening up more and more,” she added.
