New champions meeting puts Dalian in the spotlight

Business leaders and scholars share their insights on the economic development trends during the 2015 Summer Davos Forum. [Photo by WANG ZHUANGFEI/CHINA DAILY]

High-level event

Liu Haiying, a council member of the Union of International Fairs, said the Summer Davos Forum was one of the highest-level events introduced to China when the first session was held in Dalian in 2007.

"Dalian is one of the most dynamic cities in Northeast China. It has left a deep impression on the event's participants with its good environment, delicious seafood and the locals' hospitality," Liu said.

Dalian has also used the opportunity to improve its urban environment and service quality.

Liu said the airport, local airline carriers and hotels have constantly improved their facilities and services in every detail according to international standards.

"Dalian has accumulated rich experience in hosting high-level international events in the past few years," Liu said.

Gao Jifan is the chairman and CEO of Trina Solar Co, one of the leading photovoltaic companies in China. He has taken part in the WEF events in Davos, Switzerland, and China's Dalian and Tianjin since 2010.

He said the Dalian city government is a competent organizer of international events such as the Summer Davos Forum.

"Participants in the forum have agreed that Dalian is a civilized, safe and beautiful city," Gao said.

The local government and businesses view the Summer Davos Forum as a bridge linking the city to the world, offering opportunities for cooperation between international and local companies.

During the Summer Davos Forum in 2015, more than 20 member companies of WEF, which were mostly from the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Japan and China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, signed investment agreements with local companies that involved total funding of $8.14 billion. The projects covered such fields as finance, advanced manufacturing, e-commerce, healthcare and other social undertakings.

To date, 113 companies on the Fortune Global 500 list have invested in 262 projects in Dalian.