AMNC24: Who's coming and what to expect at our meeting in China

Cast your mind back to 2007. Economists’ concerns were mounting over asset prices, as the world was on the brink of the Global Financial Crisis, while the tech revolution was well underway.

That year, the World Economic Forum held its first Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) in the People’s Republic of China, which we’ve come to know as ‘Summer Davos’.

This summer will mark the 15th time leaders have convened in China for the Forum’s second biggest meeting of the year, and the global economy and the potential of technology will again be in sharp focus.

In May, our Chief Economists Outlook found ‘cautious optimism’ for the global economy, with bright spots emerging, including “consistently buoyant activity in the economies of Asia”.

At its Spring Meetings with the World Bank in April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projected growth to continue at just over 3% for 2024 and 2025, while IMF head Kristalina Georgieva said consumer spending in China would unlock global growth.

Asia is an economic powerhouse that is once again set to drive two-thirds of global growth this year, says the IMF. It serves as a leader at the forefront of unlocking new frontiers for growth, prosperity and inclusion for people.

That’s why the central theme for the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024 is ‘Next Frontiers for Growth’.

The meeting will bring together 1,600 leaders from business, government, civil society, and international organizations, as well as prominent entrepreneurs, innovators and academics to discuss new ways to achieve inclusive, sustainable growth.

Technology and the clean energy transition are a core part of that. Three-quarters of the Chief Economists we surveyed said technological transformation would be a positive driver of growth in the coming five years, with two-thirds for AI and more than a half for the green and energy transition.

But risk factors persist, from geopolitical tensions to societal polarization and the climate crisis.

At AMNC, new voices from business will come together with established leaders and politicians to exchange views on how to navigate the risks while harnessing a new wave of innovation.

Sessions are grouped around the programme's six thematic pillars. Here are some of the key sessions under each theme:

With the Forum’s latest Global Gender Gap Report finding it will take another 134 years to reach gender parity, the session When Parity Means Growth considers how economies can tackle gender gaps to unlock an estimated $12 trillion in global GDP.

Finding Growth Amid Complex Risks will look at how global collaboration and innovation can protect and propel economic growth in the face of the climate crisis, rising geopolitical tensions and the accelerating infodemic.

The IMF’s Deputy Managing Director Bo Li joins Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation, the UAE’s Minister of Economy, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri and Mirek Dušek, Managing Director, World Economic, to discuss ways to achieve Cooperation in a Competitive World.

What are the technologies that show the most promise for positively transforming economies and societies? Join us for the rundown of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2024 and a discussion on their projected impact on lives and livelihoods.

What Can AI Assistants Do? This panel of experts will discuss how AI agents can be applied and what this means for the future of human-machine interactions.

Experts estimate the implementation of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) could create an additional $1 trillion-$2 trillion for the region by 2030. Unlocking ASEAN’s Digital Prosperity will look at how countries in the region can enhance cooperation, foster innovative solutions and address common challenges.

How Ready are Countries for AI? That’s the question this panel session will tackle as it looks at how to implement policies and ensure responsible innovation while creating future-proof regulations.

What will 2024 – and beyond – hold for energy across the globe? Not Losing Momentum on the Energy Transition will look at how to accelerate the shift to a low-carbon economy in the face of geopolitical and macroeconomic obstacles.

Artist and activist Benjamin Von Wong takes us on a visual journey of repurposing pollution to create art that matters in Climate Clickbait.

The future of eco-friendly fashion is finding beauty in the waste materials and defective fabric waiting to be used around the globe. In Cutting Up Fashion Stereotypes, fashion designer Kevin Germanier explains how upcycling challenges have driven his innovations that push the limits of sustainable fashion.

Lighthouse Manufacturers Lead the Way considers the step changes needed to successfully implement smart manufacturing and the opportunities this can open for partners and suppliers.

Value added by global manufacturing industries is forecast to achieve an annual growth of 4% over the coming five years, due to new technologies, supply chain shifts, environmental regulations and changes in consumer demand. Can Better Factories Give Us Better Growth? looks at the current shifts in manufacturing practices and how firms are responding.

Adam Tooze, Director of the European Institute, Columbia University, considers the recent trends in globalization and what the current landscape means for the future in Where is Globalization Headed?

Landlocked but Connected: Digital Eurasia with Liu Liehong, Administrator, for the National Data Administration and Hannah Qiu, Chief Executive Officer, PayPal looks at the partnerships needed to continue Eurasia’s shift to a larger and more inclusive digital economy, with lessons for other regions.

China and the Middle East: The Next Chapter considers how economic ties between China and the Middle East are strengthening due to fast-growing trade and investment, strategic collaboration on the energy transition, geopolitical priorities and mutual interest in overseas markets.

China is forecast to be the single largest contributor to global growth in 2024. Join us for China Economic Outlook, to discover the short-term economic stimulus and longer-term systematic approaches needed to strategically revitalize growth prospects and ensure economic development.

Unemployment among young people stood at around 73 million in 2022, according to the International Labour Organization. In Generation Stagnation: Tackling Youth Unemployment, panellists discuss the measures that should be taken to tackle this supply and demand mismatch.

Kitty van der Heijden, Deputy Executive Director of Partnerships for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) joins panellists in the session A Better Climate for Health, to discuss the approaches needed to improve the resilience of healthcare systems while mitigating the health consequences of the climate crisis.

More than 100 public figures from almost 30 countries and regions, including 35 cabinet ministers, will participate in the Annual Meeting of the New Champions.

More than 100 senior political leaders, from around 30 countries and regions will participate in the Meeting. Leading the dialogue,10 global leaders from government, the private sector and international organizations will co-chair the event: Bonnie Chan Yiting, Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing; Shin Hak Cheol, Chief Executive Officer, LG Chem; Andre Hoffmann, Chairman, Massellaz, and Vice-Chairman, Roche; Paula Ingabire, Minister of Information Communication Technology and Innovation of Rwanda; Jeffrey Lu Minfang, Vice-Chairman, China Mengniu Dairy Co.; Busi Mabuza, Chairwoman, Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa; Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations; Rafizi Ramli, Minister of Economic Affairs at Economic Planning Unit of Malaysia; Paul Simpson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cornerstone United Holdings Jamaica; and Wen Shugang, Chairman, China Huaneng Group.

In addition, the following public figures will be in attendance: Andrzej Duda, President of Poland; Li Qiang, Premier of the People's Republic of China; Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of Viet Nam; Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria; Sandiaga Uno, Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy of Indonesia; Faisal F. Alibrahim, Minister of Economy & Planning of Saudi Arabia; Mohamad Al-Ississ, Minister of Finance of Jordan and Bo Li, Deputy Managing Director of the IMF.

Watch live-streamed sessions from the meeting here and join the conversation on social media using hashtag #AMNC24.