DALIAN, June 25 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Summer Davos forum drew to a close on Thursday in the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian, highlighting that innovation matters more than ever in an age of accelerating technological change and rising uncertainty, with China playing a pivotal role.

The event, also known as the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s 17th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, was held under the theme of "Innovating at Scale." Taking place from June 23 to 25, it brought 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.

Across conference halls and sessions, discussions ranged from artificial intelligence and humanoid robotics to quantum technology, biomedicine, advanced manufacturing and green industries. Many of these sectors are also areas in which China has emerged as an increasingly important innovator and partner in international cooperation.

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.

"For global development, 'China Opportunity 2.0' means broader access to advanced technologies and more widely shared development benefits," the premier said, adding that innovation-driven cooperation is an inevitable choice to overcome the global growth dilemma.

"While the geopolitical landscape is becoming more fragmented, innovations remain deeply interconnected," said Mirek Dusek, managing director of WEF at the closing ceremony. "What the world now requires is the investment architecture, the policy frameworks and the international cooperation to deploy them at great speed and scale."

He also announced that the next Summer Davos will be held in north China's harbor city of Tianjin in 2027.

Established by the WEF in 2007, the event is held annually in China, alternating between the two port cities of Tianjin and Dalian.■