Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2023 day 1: Here's everything you need to know

Welcome to day 1 of the World Economic Forum's 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC).

More than 1,500 global leaders from business, government and civil society have gathered in Tianjin, China, at a crucial time for the global economic recovery.

This year's AMNC — often referred to as "Summer Davos" — marks the Forum's first in-person meeting in Asia in over three years. The meeting is convening under the theme of "Entrepreneurship: The Driving Force of the Global Economy".

Over the course of three days, participants are discussing how to navigate global challenges while also accelerating progress on critical common goals. Major issue areas range from the energy transition to safeguarding nature and climate.

For more, see the day-1 meeting highlights and must-see sessions below, and join the conversation online with #AMNC23 and #2023夏季达沃斯#.

The meeting has six core themes: rewiring growth; China in the global context; energy transition and materials; safeguarding nature and climate; post-pandemic consumers; and deploying innovation.

The full public programme is available here.

The sessions began at 8:15 CST (GMT+8), with an Opening Plenary from China's Premier, Li Qiang, at 10:10 CST (GMT+8).

Other notable sessions included:

Braving the Headwinds: Rewiring Growth Amid Fragility - 8:15 CST

World Trade Organization Director General and co-chair of AMNC, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, was joined by the prime ministers of Viet Nam, New Zealand and Barbados, as well as the chairman of China's State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, to discuss how government and the private sector can use this period of global change to forge a new paradigm for global growth.

The panellists expressed optimism about the future of the global economy, emphasizing the need for cooperation, investment in technology and infrastructure, bridging the digital divide, and inclusive growth.

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said: “The global economy has a lot to look forward to... As long as we continue to cooperate and we continue to promote an open and rules based system for global trade, then I think there will be greater prosperity for everybody.”

Catch up on the full session highlights in the Twitter thread above and read the leaders' key takeaways, the 6 most significant economic headwinds according to Prime Minister of Viet Nam, Pham Minh Chinh, as well as Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley's call for urgent action on the climate crisis below.

Prefer to listen? Hear this session as a podcast here, or on any podcast app via this link.

Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2023 - 11:45 CST

For more than a decade, the Forum has been surveying decision-makers and experts on exponential technologies on the cusp of transforming economies and societies.

From ‘wearable plant sensors’ that can help sustainable agriculture to the application of AI in healthcare, this session presented the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2023 and included a panel discussion on their projected impact on lives and livelihoods in the years ahead.

Feeling the Heat: Financial Stability under Pressure - 13:00 CST

Recent shocks to the banking sector and ongoing inflation have revealed a global financial system under pressure.

Panellists in this session discussed what it would take to rebuild trust in the system to strengthen stability amid a volatile macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape.

Safeguarding Asia's Prosperity - 16:00 CST

Panellists, including Liu Qian, Managing Director, for The Economist Group, Greater China and Neeraj Aggarwal, Regional Chair, Asia-Pacific for Boston Consulting Group discussed the challenges and opportunities for maintaining prosperity in Asia amidst changing global dynamics.

In a wide-ranging discussion touching on climate change, US-China relations, digital cooperation, consumer confidence and geopolitical tensions, the emphasis was on the importance of communication, dialogue, trust-building, and innovative solutions to address the challenges and promote prosperity.

Aggarwal said: “I deeply believe the battle for net zero will be won or lost in Asia.”
He emphasized that climate change is a significant challenge for Asia, as the region accounts for a significant portion of global greenhouse gas emissions. But he also noted that addressing climate change can create opportunities and new industries, potentially generating millions of jobs.

Generative AI: Friend or Foe? - 17:30 CST

Generative AI has the power to transform entire industries, revolutionize job roles, boost productivity and open a new era of innovation. But it also poses challenges such as the disruption of entire industries, job reorientation and synthetic media that erodes trust.

Panellists including Emilija Stojmenova Duh, Slovenia's Minister of Digital Transformation, Pascale Fung, Chair Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Chen Xudong, Chairman and General Manager, Greater China, IBM Corporation discussed the opportunities and challenges of generative AI and what implications will it have for industries.

Now in its 11th year, the report highlights the technologies set to positively impact society within the next three to five years, including: AI-enabled healthcare delivery, flexible batteries powering wearable medical devices, neural-interfacing flexible circuits and virtual shared spaces for mental health support. It also explores spatial omics for molecular-level understanding, engineered viruses for health augmentation and generative AI capable of creating original content.

The healthcare sector is grappling with critical challenges, such as a shortage of frontline workers, health disparities and escalating spending. Artificial intelligence (AI) promises transformative potential to tackle these issues.

This report, written in collaboration with ZS, highlights high-priority use cases for public-private collaboration in healthcare. It stresses the need for a common vision and actions to unlock AI's full potential for global health.

The report identifies key areas where AI can make a difference, including disease detection, outbreak management and medical breakthroughs. Multilateral cooperation is vital to address healthcare challenges, in this case, with over 50 experts collaborating to synthesize 400 attainable AI examples and applications.