9 things to know about our meeting in China

The ninth Annual Meeting of the New Champions, the World Economic Forum’s global meeting on innovation, science and technology, will take place from 9 to 11 September in Dalian, China.

Here are 9 things to know about the meeting:

1. China’s Premier Li Keqiang will give a Special Address. The meeting takes place against a backdrop of rapid technological change and economic uncertainty and these will be the first remarks by Chinese Premier since the developments on China’s stockmarkets last month.
2. What’s on the programme? Under the theme, Charting a New Course for Growth, this year’s meeting will focus on six themes:
   • Transformational Science: From next-generation robotics to genetic engineering, breakthroughs in science and technology are deeply disrupting economies and societies.
   • Industry Disruption: Ubiquitous connectivity, infinite data and machine intelligence are poised to transform industries and markets, from energy to healthcare to finance.
   • Economic Uncertainty: Average global growth has returned to pre-crisis levels, but rising volatility, slowing productivity and growing inequality signal that we are far from the all-clear.
   • China’s New Normal: China’s economic influence is growing – from Central Asia to the Russian Far East and the South China Sea to the Indian Ocean. Despite an inevitable slowdown, global growth keeps shifting East.
   • Environmental Boundaries: Research suggests that humanity has exceeded four of nine limits for keeping the planet hospitable to life. As human pressures on Earth’s resources rise, so does the likelihood of irreversible loss.
   • Being Human: Artists, designers and educators explore the power of new technologies to shift perspectives back to the fundamentals of humanity, values and decision-making.
3. We will welcome more than 1,700 participants to the meeting. This includes leaders from business, government, research, civil society and “New Champions”.
4. What is a New Champion? It’s an umbrella term for Forum communities who are changing the future, namely Global Growth Companies, Young Global Leaders, Young Scientists, Technology Pioneers, Social Entrepreneurs and the Global Shapers.
5. Who are the meeting co-chairs? Mitchell Baker, Executive Chairwoman, Mozilla Foundation, USA; Nathan Blecharczyk, Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Airbnb, USA; Cheng Wei, Founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Didi Kuaidi, People’s Republic of China; Francis S. Collins, Director, National Institutes of Health, USA; Ken Hu, Deputy Chairman and Rotating Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Technologies, People’s Republic of China; Li Ruigang, Founding Chairman, CMC Capital Partners, CMC Holdings, People’s Republic of China; Carlos Moedas, Commissioner, Research, Science and Innovation, European Commission, Brussels; and Jeffrey R. Tarr, President and Chief Executive Officer, DigitalGlobe, USA.
6. Breakthrough science. The Annual Meeting of the New Champions convenes leaders from across the science and technology communities. From robotics experts and health innovators to sharing economy pioneers and research into invisibility cloaks, full details of the scientists whose ideas are changing the world can be found here.
7. Among the business participants are: Chen Feng, Chairman of the Board, HNA Group; Jack Ma, Executive Chairman, Alibaba Group; Wang Hongzhang, Chairman of the Board of Directors, China Construction Bank; and Zhang Fangyou, Chairman, Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group. Participants from the government include: Xu Shaoshi, Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission; Lu Wei, Minister of Cyberspace Administration; Shen Changyu, Commissioner, State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO); the Governor of Liaoning; Mayors of Chengdu, Dalian and Shenzhen; and the Executive Vice-Mayor of Tianjin.
8. Leading cultural leaders and artists who will participate include: Jesse Appell, stand-up comedian (USA); Gabo Arora, filmmaker (USA); Cao Fei, contemporary visual artist (China); Marton Gabor, video-mapping designer (USA); Sarah Kenderdine, media artist and professor of experimental arts (Australia); Yumi Kurosawa, composer and Koto player (USA); Dana Leong, composer and multi-instrumentalist (USA); Gordian Overschmidt, Zenvision, spatial experience design (Germany); Hidekichi Shigemoto, ink brush painter (Japan); and Li Yongcun, visual artist and professor of art (China).
9. Not coming to Dalian? Don’t panic. You can view meeting highlights here. You can also follow us on social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn), watch live sessions (which you can also embed on your own website or blog) and have your say online, using the hashtag #AMNC15.

Author: Ross Chainey, Digital Media Specialist, World Economic Forum

Image: Workers stand outside a construction site after a day’s work in Beijing’s central business district, June 25, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Lee