南方财经全媒体记者 李依农 大连报道

At the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024, SFC reporter spoke to Chen Liming, Chairman of the Greater China region at the World Economic Forum. The theme for AMNC 2024, "Next Frontiers for Growth," explored the challenges and opportunities arising from a rapidly changing global landscape. Chen Liming shared his valuable insights on global economic growth, technological innovation, and sustainable development.

Reflecting on his transition from the high-tech industry at IBM to his diverse role at the World Economic Forum, he emphasized the importance of exploring new technological frontiers and institutional innovations to address both short-term and long-term global challenges.

Highlighting China’s significant advancements in renewable energy and its crucial role in the global economy, Chen underscored the necessity of fostering international dialogue and cooperation to navigate the uncertainties of our time.

SFC: You have worked at IBM and are now the Chairman of the World Economic Forum. What was this transition like for you, and how do you feel about it?

Chen Liming: In the past at IBM, I focused on one industry. IBM, as a high-tech company, provides all our clients with high-tech services, including hardware, software, cutting-edge technologies like AI, consulting, and services. At that time, we focused on a specific industry. After joining the World Economic Forum, my role changed significantly as the Forum covers a wide range of topics. For instance, this year's Summer Davos has one theme with six pillars and around 200 sessions, each covering a different topic. This aligns well with my personal growth and interests.

I studied horticulture in college and food science in graduate school. I have worked in agriculture, food, nutrition, chemicals, fine chemicals, coal chemicals, petrochemicals, and energy. I have also worked in IT. Thus, working at the Forum aligns with my diverse interests.

SFC: The theme of this year's Summer Davos Forum is "Next Frontiers for Growth." How can we explore new drivers of global growth for the future?

Chen Liming: The world faces many short-term and long-term challenges. Short-term challenges include sluggish global economic growth and regional hotspots. Some countries have seen inflation decrease compared to previous years, but it remains high in others. Long-term challenges include climate change, energy transition, and geopolitical issues. However, there are opportunities in high-tech areas with new frontiers emerging continuously.

Fields like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biological sciences, and materials science are evolving with new technologies. People are continuously exploring these frontiers, which represent the next growth areas. Technology is indeed the primary productive force, but institutional innovations are also new frontiers.

For instance, the establishment of joint-stock companies by the Dutch played a crucial role in improving the commercial trade system, especially in financing and internationalization. Thus, besides technology, institutional innovations will drive growth. The topic of new frontiers includes business models as well. Many modern business models are fundamentally driven by technology.

SFC: Can you share with us how the topics for the forum are set?

Chen Liming: Topic setting is guided by the theme of the forum, which considers the challenges we face and the evolving technological advancements. We aim to utilize technology for sustainable development. When designing the theme, we considered these factors.

Additionally, organizing over 200 sessions involves considering the diverse backgrounds of attendees, including different industries, professions, and countries. We strive for broad coverage so that participants can find sessions that interest them.

SFC: This year's forum includes many topics on sustainable development and innovation. What advantages does China have in these areas, and what role will it play in the global economy in the future?

Chen Liming: Regarding China's advantages in sustainable development, I think there are several aspects. One is our nation's strong emphasis on this topic. We have noticed that in our five-year plans, many targets are not mandatory but rather expectations. However, some targets are mandatory. Many targets related to sustainable development and environmental protection are often mandatory. We aim to reduce carbon intensity and CO2 emissions by specific amounts by certain years. These targets are mandatory, showing China's strong commitment to these issues.

Secondly, we have made remarkable progress in recent years. For example, over a decade ago, 70% of our energy mix came from coal. Now, the share of coal is only 56%. Do not underestimate this 14% reduction. Given our large base, this 14% reduction is a significant figure. Thus, our energy structure has undergone some changes. We have made significant progress in the utilization of nuclear energy, solar power, wind energy, and other renewable energies. In fact, in terms of investment in the renewable energy sector, no country can compare to China. Our share of global investment is substantial. So, we have made significant progress in this area. Of course, I also believe we have great potential for further advancement.

Regarding China's position in the global economic arena, China is the world's second-largest economy. And in different areas, China has already become the largest market. There is still a lot of potential to explore. The 1.4 billion population is the strongest support for our future economic development. Although our demographic structure is changing, despite such circumstances, no matter how it changes, the 1.4 billion population is a huge consumer market. In addition, our development is not so balanced. For instance, between the north and the south, between the west and the east, and between urban and rural areas. Where there is a development disparity, there are always opportunities. So from this perspective, I think there is still great room for development.

In the field of science and technology, we've made impressive progress. In the number of patents, and the number of published papers, we rank first in the world. Of course, we must recognize that we still need to improve our quality. At the same time, a lot of high-tech companies have established themselves in China. It can be said that China is an important force globally.

In the past, when it came to scientific and technological development, it was often said that science came before technology. That's not true. Sometimes it was the technology that came first, making scientific discoveries possible and bringing development in this field. But in modern times, many scientific discoveries must be transformed into technological applications. For example, the quantum theory starts from a theory, to gradually be applied to technological development. So, the investment in the basic field will be converted into productive forces in the future.

SFC: In the face of uncertainty, how can the World Economic Forum make a difference? What is your vision for future cooperation with China?

Chen Liming: The World Economic Forum, as a neutral and fair dialogue platform, is dedicated to creating an environment where stakeholders can use this platform for dialogue, deepen understanding, and reduce misjudgments. Often, misjudgments arise from a lack of understanding and communication. Therefore, our main job is to provide such a platform. This allows stakeholders to find relevant parties for dialogue, and through dialogue, deepen their understanding. After that, it can positively influence their judgments. So this is the work we do.

Our cooperation with China began in 1979. It has basically spanned the decades of China's reform and opening up. There has been no interruption during this period. In 2006, we established an office in China. In 2007, we began hosting the Annual Meeting of the New Champions. We have held it 15 times so far. Each session has been very successful. It has been widely recognized by our participants. Looking ahead, we hope to further expand and deepen our cooperation with China and other countries. We aim to build a platform and bridge for dialogue among all relevant parties. This will help reduce various forms of friction caused by unnecessary misunderstandings.

As for the topics covered by the forum, they are very broad. I always participate in these discussions with a curious mind. However, we must realize that what we see and know today is just what we see and know today. We often have various forms of confidence about the future. But sometimes we may lack sufficient understanding of what we do not know. So, many things we discuss enthusiastically today may or may not come true in the future. But one thing is certain: if you don't explore, it won’t happen. Therefore, we must maintain an open attitude towards various technologies and their applications. 

At the same time, we must recognize that all technological developments can be phase-based. Some technologies may last for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. For example, some general technologies like the wheel, the most typical one, people have been using wheels for thousands of years. 

But some technologies may be very short-lived. So some technologies may just be a flash in the long river of history. For example, many tech products we used in the past had lifespans of just a few years. Such as the Walkman or the iPod, which only lasted a few years. That is, some elements of these were replaced by newer products. For example, a smartphone today not only equals large computers of the past but also integrates various technologies into one device. Thus, technological development is very rapid. 

So on the one hand, we must maintain an open attitude, and on the other hand, we must realize that technology itself may be phase-based. It could also become a general technology that serves humanity for a long time.

策划：于晓娜

监制：施诗

责任编辑：李依农

记者：李依农

制作：李群

新媒体统筹：丁青云 曾婷芳 赖禧 黄达迅

海外运营监制: 黄燕淑

海外运营内容统筹: 黄子豪 

海外运营编辑：庄欢 吴婉婕 龙李华 张伟韬

出品：南方财经全媒体集团