- Premier Li Qiang sums up China's economy in four words - stability, innovation, dynamism, and integration - citing 5% first-quarter growth.
- Li reframes "China Shock 2.0" as "China Opportunity 2.0," noting open-source AI and rising foreign investment in Chinese research.
- World Economic Forum President Alois Zwinggi says the world's biggest challenges cannot be solved by any country, company or institution alone.
- For more information on the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026, visit wef.ch/amnc26 and share on social media using the hashtag #amnc26, or #2026夏季达沃斯# on Weibo and WeChat.
Dalian, People's Republic of China, 24 June 2026 - Premier Li Qiang of the People's Republic of China opened the 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions today with a call for open, collaborative innovation. He told global business and government leaders that China intends to keep widening its door to the world even as global growth turns uneven and supply chains realign.
Speaking to around 1,800 leaders from over 90 countries and regions gathered under this year's theme, "Innovating at Scale," Li summed up China's economy in four words: stability, innovation, dynamism and integration. China's economy, he said, "continues to register steady and healthy growth despite the shocks of global energy shortages and severe supply chain disruptions." He reported first-quarter growth of 5%, noting that China has extended zero-tariff treatment to 63 countries, and said the country has remained the world's second-largest import market for 17 consecutive years, with imports up 20.5% in the first five months of the year.
"Dialogue leads to understanding. Understanding leads to trust, and trust leads to collaboration and action," said Alois Zwinggi, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Economic Forum, who opened the plenary. The meeting, he added, offered "a space where leaders can look beyond immediate pressure and focus on what can be built together," reflecting the gathering's premise that the world's most urgent challenges cannot be solved by any one country, company or institution alone.
"We should harness technology for good. Innovation drives humanity's quest for a better life," said Li Qiang, Premier of the People's Republic of China. "Advanced technologies should serve as tools that benefit people across countries, rather than sources of chaos that undermine peace and stability. Technology progress should always reflect humanity's common values and advance global peace and development," he said.
Li made the case that China's progress creates gains for others. He rejected what some commentators have termed a "China Shock 2.0," proposing instead a "China Opportunity 2.0" in which the country's technological advances open new markets and investment for partners abroad. "For enterprises around the world, China Opportunity 2.0 means across-the-board innovation, empowerment and high-return investment opportunities." he said, pointing to 14,000 foreign-funded firms established in scientific research and technology services in China in 2025, up 27.2% year on year, in what he called a shift "from made in China to created in China."
Describing how China moves discoveries into industry, he said: "The most difficult leap in innovation is often not the one inside the lab, but the one across the Darwinian sea that separates the lab from the market." He attributed Chinese competitiveness to scale rather than subsidy: research and development spending rose by an average of 10% a year from 2021 to 2025; and enterprises now fund nearly 80% of China's R&D.
On openness, Li framed China's integration with the world as a long-term choice rather than a tactic. "In pursuing development, China does not seek to move faster by going alone," said Li Qiang, Premier of the People's Republic of China. "Rather, we want win-win cooperation with all in the world so that we can go far together," he said. He highlighted China's open approach to innovation - its large open-weight AI models have been downloaded more than 10 billion times worldwide - and said facilities in fields such as controlled nuclear fusion and quantum technology, along with the Tiangong space station, are open to international partners.
Premier Li closed with a pledge: "No matter how the world changes, China's door will only open wider."
About the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2026
The 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions will take place from 23 to 25 June 2026 in Dalian, People's Republic of China, under the theme "Innovating at Scale". The meeting will bring together around 1800 participants cross-sector leaders to explore how innovation and emerging technologies can unlock new growth models and drive positive economic momentum in a fast-shifting global landscape.
