Ambitious Tianjin gears up ahead of Summer Davos

Updated: 2010-09-02

China's northern port city of Tianjin is getting itself ready for the fourth Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also dubbed as the 2010 Summer Davos.

Convened by the World Economic Forum, the meeting is scheduled to be held from Sept.13 to 15 this year, attracting more than 1,000 registered participants from over 80 countries and regions to discuss latest issues of world economic development, said organizers.

Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center in Tianjin, China.(Xinhua File Photo)

The city, located on the west coast of the Bohai Bay and no more than 120 kilometers from Beijing, is finalizing preparations for the event. "Everything is carefully organized," said Zhu Jun, director of the Tianjin Preparatory Office of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions, and also an official with the Tianjin Municipal government.

The Geneva-based WEF is best known for its annual meeting at the Swiss winter resort of Davos, while the Annual Meeting of the New Champions in China is focused on newly emerging businesses and nations.

This is the second time for Tianjin to host the meeting, after it held the second one in 2008 and then handed the baton to another north China port city, Dalian, in 2009. The two cities have been competing for the right to host the event on a permanent basis.

Under the theme of "Sustainable Growth", this year political leaders, scholars, and business executives will discuss 25 main topics, ranging from energy and education to the development of medium and small enterprises, in the city's new Meijiang Convention and Exhibition Center, which was completed in June.

The one billion yuan (147 million U.S.dollars) building, which is designed for high profile international meetings and exhibitions, is seen as a reflection of Tianjin's efforts to host the Summer Davos, and also its ambition to attract global attention.

"We are going to provide a perfect meeting...and present Tianjin perfectly (during the Summer Davos)," Zhu said.