Delegates at the 2025 Summer Davos, held from Tuesday to Thursday in north China's Tianjin, emphasized that leveraging China's development is crucial for weathering external economic shocks including volatile energy markets and shifting global trade dynamics, while redefining global collaboration.
Their discussions echoed Chinese Premier Li Qiang's remarks at the symposium, where he described the world economy as standing at a "critical crossroads" and called for deeper reflection on global trade, economic cooperation, and shared prosperity.
Among the key concerns raised, volatility in energy markets took center stage. Delegates from oil-producing regions highlighted how fluctuating oil prices have reshaped strategic priorities.
"Obviously, the price of oil is important. It has been volatile recently, so that plays a role. But its because of that that the whole countries in the region have been actively working on diversifying away from that, whether that's investing in technology, whether that's in creating stronger relationships with China and in the east, whether that is also building a vibrant tourism [industry]," said Nael Mustafa, CEO, GFH Partners, GFH Financial Group, Bahrain.
The evolving nature of global trade also emerged as a major theme, especially in light of the interdependence between major economies such as China and the United States.
"Both China and the U.S. have realized that they are more co-dependent on each other than they previously thought. Trade will continue, it has been there forever. But the rules for trade are going to change. I'm from Mexico. We are not from those big, huge economies, but we are depending on what's going to go between these two economies," said Valeria Moy Campos, economist of IMCO Public Policy Think Tank from Mexico.
Amid these global uncertainties, many experts agreed that China remains a key pillar of stability and growth in the world economy.
"I think China has obvious advantages in today's world. We have a large-scale economy, nearly 400 million middle-class people with medium incomes, and the most complete manufacturing system in the world. We also have the most advanced infrastructure network in the world. These things are the reason why China's economic development can cope with various external shocks and uncertainties," said Xie Lincan, researcher from National Development and Reform Commission of China.
Themed on "Entrepreneurship for a New Era," the Summer Davos gathered over 1,700 leading figures from more than 90 countries and regions to explore how entrepreneurship and emerging technologies can unlock more dynamic and resilient economies.
Delegates at Summer Davos highlight China's role in fostering global resilience amid economic shocks
