This article is part of:Annual Meeting of the New Champions

• ‘Summer Davos’ - officially the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions - is being held in Tianjin, China from 24 to 26 June.
• Day 2 explores Asia's role in driving global growth and the next phase of the energy transition. Also taking stage: Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Prime Ministers Ousmane Sonko (Senegal), Lawrence Wong (Singapore) and Pham Minh Chinh (Viet Nam).
• Follow this blog for real-time insights as leaders, entrepreneurs and experts share what’s coming next.

Welcome to Day 2 of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC 2025) - also known as ‘Summer Davos’ - being held in Tianjin, China.

In case you missed anything yesterday, here's our roundup of the highlights from Day 1.

Today’s agenda focuses on the next chapter of the energy transition and evolving role of Asia’s economies, with regional leaders such as Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong - who joins Forum President Børge Brende for a conversation during his first official visit to China.

Other key themes include the race to fund climate action, stabilizing growth amid global headwinds, and the global shift in workforces as the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates.

Follow this blog for real-time updates, session highlights and key takeaways from Day 2 of ‘Summer Davos’.

Have you read?

• Day 1 at ‘Summer Davos’ 2025: AI, trade and the global economy in focus
• Day 3 at ‘Summer Davos’ 2025: China’s economy and AI strategy 

Live Updates

➡️ 'We reject zero-sum competition', Singapore PM

On his first official visit to China since taking office in May, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong addressed leaders this afternoon with a clear message: cooperation over confrontation.

“Global rules are weakening, global institutions are weakening, and economic nationalism is replacing win-win cooperation,” he warned.

To counter this, he said Singapore will deepen regional ties: “We are looking at ways to better integrate ASEAN and make us more united.”

He went on to add: “We want to be friends with both America and China... ASEAN rejects zero-sum competition.”

➡️ Viet Nam’s Pham Minh Chinh on growth and global balance

In a packed session at 'Summer Davos', Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh of Viet Nam shared his country's vision for continued economic growth and geopolitical balance.

“We seek to increase our growth because we have set our target... by 2045 to be a developed, high-income country,” he said. “If we are to realise that, we need 8 per cent this year and two-digit growth in the years to come.”

The Prime Minister outlined Viet Nam’s approach to economic independence: “We have identified that self-resilience is the way we have to go. We have to stand up and work with our soil, with our water. Which is to say to build an economy that is independent, resilient, and self-reliant.”

He described the country’s shift from a centrally planned economy to one grounded in “a multi-sector economy” and “globally integrated economy,” supported by both internal and external resources. “What Viet Nam innately has … is strategic, foundational, decisive, and external resources.”

On foreign policy, he said: “Viet Nam needs to pursue balance … based on the principle of Viet Nam's foreign policy, which is foreign policy line of independence, self-alliance, but diversification, multilateralization, to be a good friend and reliable partner of all countries around the world.”

These themes continued in a separate session on Asia’s future, where leaders called for greater multilateral cooperation.

“We must uphold multilateralism, respect international law, advance international solidarity and cooperation,” said Viet Nam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo of Indonesia added: “The Asia century is definitely not ending. We are just beginning.”

➡️ 'Vision 2050': Senegal’s PM presents transformation agenda

The Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, in a conversation with Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman ad interim of the Forum, outlined his government’s bold transformation agenda under 'Senegal Vision 2050' - a long-term plan focused on building a resilient economy, advancing digital sovereignty, and fighting corruption through transparent governance.

“Our priorities are clear: economic resilience, human capital, urban reform and virtuous governance,” said Sonko.

On attracting investment, Sonko emphasized Senegal’s strategic advantages: political stability, regional connectivity, and a young, fast-growing population. He said Senegal aims to become an investment hub for West Africa, with upcoming reforms in areas such as customs, the oil and gas sector and infrastructure.

“We are not asking for charity,” he noted. “We are offering a predictable, transparent and welcoming environment for investors. Senegal is open for business – and for partnership.”

The Prime Minister also made a case for Africa’s global relevance: “Africa is the only continent where everything still needs to be built. It holds immense potential - industrial, digital, demographic. Now is the time to focus on Africa.”

➡️ Tackling the climate finance paradox: $2 trillion in clean energy - yet only 2% goes to Africa

In a session titled Where’s the Capital for Climate?, leaders examined a stark contrast: global clean energy investment surpassed a record $2 trillion in 2024, - double that of fossil fuels - while emerging and developing economies still receive only a fraction of climate finance. Africa, for example, despite accounting for roughly one-fifth of the world’s population, reportedly receives a mere 2% of these funds.

Liu Zhenmin, China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, underscored the urgency ahead of COP30: “There’s a mandate to prepare a roadmap for $1.3 trillion in climate financing over the next five years. That’s a very serious challenge... We need to be more creative and innovative — we should not wait.”

Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of ALTERRA, emphasized that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution: “Every region needs a tailored mix - the right policies, market maturity, and suitable technologies.” He drew an analogy to mobile phone adoption in the Global South: “If we could enable cellphones in rural areas, we can do it for clean energy. We just need the same enabling conditions.”

The overall message was that mobilizing trillions for climate action will require bolder partnerships, smarter regulation and scalable innovation - especially in parts of the world where the stakes are highest and the resources are scarcest.

➡️ Turning data into emotion: The artist using art to make science actionable

In a Betazone session called Bringing Complex Data to Life, award-winning ecological artist Thijs Biersteker explored how art and technology can transform complex scientific data into experiences that resonate - and inspire action.

"Facts don’t move people. Emotions do," he said. "We don’t live in a fact-driven society - we live in an emotion-driven society."

Biersteker works with leading scientists and institutions, from the World Health Organization (WHO) to space agencies, using AI-powered storytelling and immersive installations to turn overwhelming environmental data into something people can actually feel.

“Right now, we feel numbed by the numbers. The environmental challenges have become so unimaginable — and when something is unimaginable, it becomes inactionable.”

His approach offers a new path for climate communication: one where science meets story to drive real engagement and impact.

➡️ Why the energy transition is a growth story - not just a climate one

At a press conference launching the Fostering Effective Energy Transition 2025 report, economists and energy leaders made the case for viewing clean energy not just as a climate imperative but as a path to long-term growth and opportunity.

“The energy transition is going to be good for growth,” said Paul Gruenwald, Global Chief Economist at S&P Global. “We spent a century building fossil fuel infrastructure - now, as we invest in solar, wind, storage and transmission, we’re raising the capital stock of countries and boosting GDP.”

Gruenwald also highlighted the leapfrogging potential for developing countries: “If countries in the Global South can jump ahead through tech transfer, we can bring down their peak emissions faster. That’s better for sustainability.”

Erika Kraemer Mbula, Professor of Economics at the University of Johannesburg, agreed that Africa has enormous potential but warned of a persistent funding gap: “Sub-Saharan Africa has enormous renewable energy potential. But 90% of capital investment still goes to China and advanced economies, while 80% of the demand growth is happening in emerging economies, including Africa.”

➡️ China’s Premier at Opening Plenary: ‘We need more bridges’

In the Opening Plenary on Day 2 of ‘Summer Davos’, Chinese Premier Li Qiang underscored China’s commitment to openness, innovation and global cooperation.

“Division and disruption often originate from short-sighted calculations. What we need are more bridges,” he told leaders from business, government and civil society.

Premier Li highlighted China’s dual role as a manufacturing and rapidly growing consumption powerhouse, noting its strategy to boost domestic demand for high-quality development.

“In China today, high-speed railways traverse numerous mountains and rivers. Electric vehicles are serving millions of households and artificial intelligence is empowering thousands of industries. China’s innovation is open and open source.”

The Forum's Børge Brende echoed the collaborative call:

“From AI governance to supply chain resilience and from great transitions to skills for the future, the challenges we face require us to move beyond competition to co-creation and from fragmentation to collaboration.”

➡️ Managing AI agents: The next big skill?

From digital twins that help deliver keynote speeches to AI agents managing entire business functions, a new era of human–AI collaboration is taking shape.

At a packed session on Building an Agentic Economy, leaders from across sectors explored how AI agents are shifting the nature of work - and what that means for businesses and people.

“Very soon, the metric for a good manager will be: how many digital workers can you manage?” said Wang Guanchun, CEO of Laiye. “It’s no longer just about communication with people, but prompting your agents to do their best work.”

Kian Katanforoosh, CEO of Workera, highlighted the growing importance of agility and continuous learning: “In AI, skills can become outdated in just 90 days. Organizations that stay curious and execute fast will stay ahead.”

And John Lombard, CEO of NTT DATA Asia Pacific, called for responsible scaling, not fear: “This technology holds huge promise — but we need to pair it with the right governance, ethics and workforce inclusion to get it right.”

The takeaway from the session? The AI-powered future won’t just be about deploying the latest tools - it will depend on how effectively leaders integrate AI agents into teams, build trust and accountability into systems, and help their people adapt, upskill and collaborate with digital counterparts.

At a parallel session on Career Pathways: Rewired, speakers explored how AI agents are reshaping entry-level jobs and career paths. “Short-term disruption, but in 3 to 5 years... it's going to be an exponential surge in terms of our opportunities with generative AI,” said Rahul Attuluri, CEO of NxtWave.

Zhang Dandan, Professor at Peking University, noted a challenge already visible in China: “You see job growth in the high-skilled and low-skilled areas, but in the middle, there's a drop - it's disappeared.” And as Georgina Mondino of the Forum's Global Shapers Community put it: “You can either look at [AI] as a threat, or you can even look at it as a possibility… We need to master this technology because all companies are technology companies.”

➡️ Growth under pressure: Leaders weigh risks to global trade and jobs

How can emerging economies safeguard growth in a fragmented world? Leaders at today’s Safeguarding Growth Engines session at ‘Summer Davos’ 2025 explored how rising protectionism, shifting demographics and the digital economy are reshaping global growth.

“A 1% decline in trade can cost around 11 million jobs,” warned Henadi Al Saleh, CEO of Agility Global. “That’s four times the population of Kuwait. But more so, around 4.5 million women’s jobs – in export-led industries – are at risk.”

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Azín emphasized the demographic challenge: “40% of our population is between the ages of 14 and 35. How are we going to employ that mass of people? How are we going to educate them and understand their feelings?”

Satish Shankar of Bain & Company noted that global trade levels have stalled since 2008 – a sign of “post-globalization.” But diversification and digitalization could unlock new regional trade flows: “ASEAN will trade more with China and India. That’s inevitable but it demands diversified supply chains.”

Despite these headwinds, opportunities remain. Li Bo, Deputy Managing Director at the IMF, highlighted the region’s momentum: “Every time I come back to Asia-Pacific, I see energy, I see technology, I see dynamism. Digital payments in particular hold huge potential for financial inclusion.”

Key sessions to watch

Here's a look at some of today's top sessions. You can see the programme in full here.

All times are local to China (GMT+8)

8:30 - Building an Agentic Economy

A new wave of start-ups is emerging, built around powerful AI agents capable of autonomous decision-making, dynamic collaboration and end-to-end task execution. These agents aren’t just supporting workflows – they’re becoming the digital workforce that runs entire business functions. How are business models evolving when AI agents take the lead in building, managing and scaling companies?

14:30 - Career Pathways: Rewired

Agentic AI is disrupting entry-level jobs and evolving job markets are changing traditional career paths, leaving young people uncertain about the future. How do we turn AI-driven disruption into career opportunities for young people?

16:00 - Is Asia's Century at Risk?

Asia is the economic engine of the world and is projected to contribute nearly 60% of global GDP growth in 2025. However, the region increasingly finds itself at the centre of geoeconomic volatility, which threatens to impact its positive momentum. How can Asian nations maintain their economic strength by adapting their economies, forging new trade alliances and deepening regional integration?

17:30 - Nature: A $10 Trillion Opportunity

As of 2025, 1 million species are threatened with extinction with a significant share of global habitats at risk. Yet nature-positive solutions could unlock $10 trillion in annual business opportunities by 2030, transforming nature action into a driver for growth. How are financial institutions and other investors considering the potential of this economy and the best strategies to capture its value?

Report launches and key announcements

• Future of Global Fintech Report

The Forum and the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) have partnered again to produce the second edition of this global study. This edition offers key benchmarks and comparative insights on market performance indicators while also exploring how firms reach underserved customer segments and unlock market potential through financially inclusive products. It further captures evolving perceptions around regulatory and supervisory frameworks, and how these influence the growth and development of fintech businesses.