Port city of Dalian gets boost from Summer Davos

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As curtains are set to fall on the annual World Economic Forum, the gathering of the world’s elite, in a few months, all eyes will shift to China, which is again set to host the Summer Davos in June.

Officially called the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the gathering has been hosted by the northeastern port city Dalian, Liaoning Province, since 2007, and in over a decade, just as it has the original lent fame to the ski resort town in the swiss alps, its summer version has brought changes to local people and businesses in Dalian.

For 12-year-old Ji Suyang, this red Swiss cow from Switzerland is now one of her most memorable keepsakes. “It was a gift given to me by Klaus Schwab, the executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. It’s hand-made and I like it a lot.”

Ji was one of the seven local residents selected to participate in the Davos Forum last summer. He was only 11, the youngest to attend the summit, alongside political figures, business leaders and academics.

Ji was selected as one of the local residents to attend the Summer Davos forum. /CGTN Photo

“I was very lost on the first day of the forum, but on the second day through simultaneous translation I started to get what they were talking about. I was particularly drawn by those sessions on artificial intelligence and how to protect the ocean. Their insights really opened my eyes,” says Ji.

Ji is now deeply absorbed in a book called the Fourth Industrial Revolution, also a gift from Professor Schwab, the author.

No doubt the global economic meeting has broadened the horizons of many locals like Ji. It has also given a big push to the local businesses.

Ten years ago, the city of Dalian was chosen because China's rapid growth had been shifting the world's economic and geopolitical focus to Asia. Back then, organizers hoped the Dalian meeting would serve as a platform to link multinationals and growth companies from across the world. Ten years later, it is fair to say Summer Davos has done good for the local economy.

Shunquan International, a logistics company in the Jinpu New District, was established in 2016. After a year of preparation, it is now gearing up to offer logistics and warehousing services for domestic e-commerce giants like Alibaba.

Its deputy general manager Jin Jinghua told CGTN that the Summer Davos Forum is a gateway for the firm to understand how innovation, science and technology can drive economies. “Two years ago we decided to refocus our business from traditional trade to cross-border e-commerce service, a sector we believe has larger potential in the future.”

Dalian Free Trade Zone./ CGTN Photo

Located in the newly-established Free Trade Zone, Jin’s company has ambitions to expand into the international arena as well, doing businesses with big names like Amazon and Ebay.

Han Bo, deputy director of the Bonded Logistics Bureau at the Dalian Free Trade Zone said “global business leaders would come to our Free Trade Zone during the summit, looking for potential opportunities for cooperation in equipment manufacturing and logistics. Through hosting the Summer Davos Forum, Dalian is becoming more and more open to the outside world.”

Dalian aims to become a financial, shipping and logistics center for northeast Asia and beyond. And the Summer Davos will continue to be an important factor that will catalyze the process.