The World Economic Forum (WEF)'s fourth Annual Meeting of the New Champions, known as the 2010 Summer Davos, will be held from Sept 13-15, 2010 in Tianjin and focus on "sustainable growth", said Christophe Weber, chief representative of the WEF Beijing Office. Weber made the remarks in a press conference hosted by the WEF and the Tianjin municipal government on Tuesday.

He said it is universally acknowledged that China is playing an increasingly important role in global affairs and hosting the Summer Davos in China shows the change of global strength.

"We are delighted to return to Tianjin for the fourth Summer Davos," said André Schneider, WEF's Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director. "Next year’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions will focus on creating sustainable growth, taking into account the developing new world order and the profound economic challenges we still face."

The meeting will take place in the Meijiang Conference Center and will be completed by May 2010, according to the press conference.

According to Tianjin Vice Mayor Ren Xuefeng, the Tianjin municipal government will set up a preparation committee for coordinating efforts on preparing for the event. The WEF also plans to build the Summer Davos into an influential global forum as its winter counterpart, Weber said.

Li Bin, Deputy Director-General of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)’s Department of Foreign Affairs, said at a press conference in Dalian in Sept that China hopes the Summer Davos conference will become a permanent event in the future.

The WEF is commonly known as the Davos Forum as its annual meeting is held every January in Davos, Switzerland. The WEF, along with China, began organizing the Summer Davos Forum in 2007.

The first Summer Davos was held in northern China's port cities Dalian and Tianjin and returned to Dalian in Sept 2009. The two cities have been competing for the right to host the event on a permanent basis.

According to the WEF, the Summer Davos provides a platform for the rising generation of global leaders from business and society to contribute to broader policy discussions and engage with the world's top business executives.

By Guo Changdong