The founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) said Tianjin can look forward to a repeat visit of the Summer Davos Forum. “I believe the Summer Davos Forum will come back to Tianjin in the near future,” Klaus Schwab said at the “Tianjin's Night” party held in Dalian on Thursday.

The Summer Davos Forum held in Tianjin last year attracted global attention and Tianjin’s excellent work in organizing the forum won applause from all participating sides, Schwab said at the party.

“I was impressed by the city’s robust growth and I believe the forum will come back to this dynamic city in the near future,” he added.

Tianjin has witnessed the fastest growth in the first half of the year among China provinces, regions and municipalities. Its GDP in H1 reported a 16.2 percent growth year-on-year despite the global economic downturn.

Schwab visited the northern China port city on Tuesday and received an honorary doctorate from the city’s Nankai University. Currently he is attending the ongoing 2009 Summer Davos Forum, which opened on Thursday, in the northeastern port city of Dalian, Liaoning province.

The 2008 Summer Davos forum was held in Tianjin in September, under the theme "The Next Wave of Growth". The forum attracted some 1,400 participants from nearly 90 countries and regions.

The WEF is commonly known as the Davos Forum as its annual meeting is held every January in Davos, Switzerland. WEF, along with China, also organizes the Summer Davos Forum, aimed at establishing a platform for political leaders, business leaders, and economists to discuss pressing issues facing the world.

By Guo Changdong