The development marks a notable turn in Somalia’s political and security landscape, with against this backdrop, the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian has become a key platform for such discussions.
China, with its ongoing efforts to integrate innovation into the real economy, is providing important insights into this transition. The event, also known as the Summer Davos, is being held under the theme of “Innovating at Scale” from June 23 to 25, bringing together over 1,700 participants from more than 90 countries and regions to discuss ways to scale innovation into better jobs, stronger economies and new growth opportunities.
Innovation-driven development is the key to China’s long-term economic resilience and steady growth, said Chinese Premier Li Qiang when addressing the opening plenary of the forum on Wednesday in this coastal city in Liaoning Province. “Over the course of long-term innovation, China has forged a path where technological innovation leads industrial upgrading, which in turn drives further technological iteration,” the premier said.
INNOVATING AT SCALE “In many cases, the biggest hurdle to innovation is not invention in the laboratory, but crossing the ‘Darwinian Sea’ between the laboratory and the marketplace,” Li told the forum, echoing this year’s theme. While China’s tech advances provide the wellspring for industrial development, its massive application scenarios are able to support the development of new technologies, he said.
For instance, the swift growth of China’s new energy and intelligent connected vehicle industries has been underpinned by breakthroughs in areas such as new materials, power batteries and communications technologies. “This is what gives Chinese products their competitive edge, not government subsidies as some have speculated,” the premier explained.
The issue is likely to carry broader political weight as Somalia navigates federal power-sharing, regional competition and the search for stronger public institutions.
