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

• Day 3 of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC 2025), commonly referred to as ‘Summer Davos’, is underway in Tianjin, China.
• Today’s focus includes China’s economic outlook, the country’s evolving AI strategy, and broader global discussions on geopolitics, entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation.
• Follow this blog for real-time updates, expert insights and key takeaways from the final day of AMNC 2025.

Welcome to Day 3 of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC 2025) - commonly known as ‘Summer Davos’ - taking place in Tianjin, China.

As the meeting wraps up, discussions are turning to China’s economic outlook and AI strategy, with key voices exploring how the world’s second-largest economy is navigating its next phase of growth.

Sessions today also examine the geopolitical landscape, entrepreneurship in an era of transformation, and how technology can be made more inclusive and effective across borders.

Stay with us for live updates, expert insights and highlights from the final day of 'Summer Davos'.

Have you read?

• Day 2 at ‘Summer Davos’ 2025: Asia’s growth and future of energy in the spotlight
• Day 1 at ‘Summer Davos’ 2025: AI, trade and the global economy in focus

Live updates

➡️ Next year in Dalian...

“The new era requires entrepreneurs to play a greater role, do more great things, pioneering things… more win-win things,” said Li Wenhai, Vice-Mayor of Tianjin, reflecting on Premier Li Qiang’s thoughts from earlier in the week.

And concluding this year's Summer Davos, Qiu Baolin, Vice-Mayor of Dalian, looked forward to next year's Summer Davos. He shared what's on the horizon for his city, "Dalian is striving to build... a regional financial centre with the capacity and the confidence to take the lead in promoting the revitalization of northeast China in the new era".

➡️Entrepreneurship and innovation don't 'happen in a vacuum' - Paula Ingabire

Paula Ingabire, Rwanda's Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation highlighted the importance of policy and infrastructure to support global entrepreneurship and innovation.

She said, "when we speak about entrepreneurship and innovation, both do not happen in a vacuum. Both are very much dependent on having the right policy environment in place."

In the same conversation, Columbia University's Adam Tooze explained, “We are opening up sources of innovation which are explosively larger,” as he highlighted today's diversity of thought and youth education levels around the globe, which have radically opened up. A cause for optimism, he said.

And Stephanie Riady, CEO Pelita Harapan Group, Lippo Group, warned of the speed at which future leaders will need to adapt. "The shelf life of a skill in the past was 10 years. Today it's 5 years and arguably 2.5 years when it comes to technology. So we have to prepare future leaders who are able to adapt to the fast changing nature of this world today", she said.

➡️ US-China 'embedded' and the economic power of 'AI+'

Discussing China's economy, Jin Keyu, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, said, "There is an absolute illusion of de-risking and decoupling, even among the two big major superpowers, US and China." She added that in terms of direct trade and investment, while this might be the case, the two countries in fact remain "more embedded with each other indirectly than ever before."

She sees it as a realignment of trade rather than a hiatus.

In a separate conversation on Geopolitics, she explained, “It's not about trade, it's about Chinese aspirations. It's about the Chinese development model. And most importantly, it's about technology… Deepseek is just only the beginning. So we're going to see a whole spectrum of US-China tech competition.”

Cornell University's Eswar Prasad conceded that "both sides can inflict pain on each other" and he thinks sadly the fate of new technology innovation is hostage to the "zero-sum game". He spoke about 'whiplash' between the two economies - with their respective strengths seesawing. The question, he asked, was how the two sides might perceive 'victory' without "bending the knee to the other?"

Participants acknowledged China's new generation of open-source models and digital tools that are driving scale-based, cost-effective innovation, underpinned by China's unique combination of advanced R&D, mass production capacity, and integrated supply chains.

“We have the data policy in place, Huawei for computing power, and DeepSeek for software,” said Zhu Min, Member of the Senior Expert Advisory Committee at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges. “AI+ will have a huge impact across the economy—not just in computing, but in every industrial sector.”

➡️ AI talent: 'It's like football, right?' - the more players, the better the team

In a session on China’s AI approach, speakers highlighted how the country’s progress in AI comes from more than just cutting-edge models - it’s built on years of accumulated industrial progress, early talent pipelines, and a culture of rapid application.

“China has accumulated a lot - from e-commerce to mobile internet - and that’s now powering the AI revolution,” said Li Haitao of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business. “It's like football, right? If you have a lot of people playing soccer, you eventually have a team go to the World Cup,” he added, referring to China’s broad base of AI talent trained in universities and sharpened through entrepreneurial competition.

Angela Zhang of USC added: “There’s less emphasis on training the next powerful frontier model and more on how to improve productivity and lower costs through AI applications.”

Workera CEO Kian Katanforoosh added a global perspective, emphasizing that ecosystems thrive on continuous learning: “People keep learning all the time. The velocity is high. That’s what makes places like San Francisco special.”

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)

08:30 - Understanding China's Approach to AI

Recent developments in AI in China have grabbed the world's attention, as new models show important potential to compete with other advanced algorithms. What is unique about the country's approach to AI and how will it evolve in a shifting global context?

08:30 - Geopolitics: An Unfolding Story

From tariffs to territory, political and economic tensions between countries are deepening as the geopolitical landscape enters a new era of uncertainty. What are the pre-eminent political shifts and under-recognized trends for stakeholders to look out for and how might they shape economies?

10:30 - China's Economy: Analysed

Despite persistent challenges, such as low domestic demand and household consumption, China's economy has been buoyed by strong exports and private sector activity, hitting its 5% growth rate target in 2024 and aiming for similar levels of growth this year. To what extent can a shift to a technology-led model yield new growth as global volatility threatens exports?

12:15 - Closing Remarks

Join us for a summary of the key insights, conclusions and next steps from the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025.

Key report launches this week

• Top 10 Emerging Technologies 2025 report

The World Economic Forum’s latest Top 10 Emerging Technologies report explores the tech that’s at the tipping point between scientific progress and real-world impact. In areas from AI to nanotechnology and energy, the technologies in the report are set to deliver impact in the next three to five years. Each of the 10 technologies was selected this year for its novelty, level of development, and its potential to deliver meaningful societal benefits.

• Global Economic Futures report

This report presents four scenarios for the global economy, a data-driven assessment of how businesses in 12 sectors may be affected and a set of actionable strategies to help businesses and governments not only adapt to change but also shape it.

• 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.