The digital economy continues to empower the development of Southeast Asia

GENEVA, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) --

Title: Cooperation: The Only Way to Address Common Challenges - A Preview of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025

By Chen Binjie, Xinhua News Agency

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 is set to be held in the Swiss town of Davos from Jan. 20 to 24. Nearly 3,000 representatives from various fields around the world will focus on common challenges such as geopolitical crises, headwinds to globalization, intensifying climate change challenges, and the reshaping of the global development landscape by new technologies, exploring how the international community can carry forward the spirit of cooperation and work together in a more sustainable and inclusive way for win - win cooperation.

Risks and Opportunities Coexist

At present, geopolitical conflicts and headwinds to globalization have become major risks and challenges plaguing global development.

In the "Global Risks Report 2025" recently released by the World Economic Forum, researchers listed armed conflict, extreme weather, economic confrontation, mis - and disinformation, and social polarization as the top five risks facing the world this year. Saadia Zahidi, an executive director of the World Economic Forum, said that geopolitical conflicts in several regions are still spreading, posing the greatest risk to the world this year and continuously bringing uncertainties to global development.

The "Chief Economists Outlook" report released by the World Economic Forum on the 16th shows that more than half of the chief economists surveyed are not optimistic about the economic trend in 2025. Analyses indicate that trade protectionism and the trend of global economic fragmentation are intensifying, public debt and high inflation are dragging down economic growth, and the economic recovery in various regions will be unbalanced.

Børge Brende, President of the World Economic Forum, told Xinhua that the global supply chain landscape is changing. In case of a real "decoupling and chain - breaking," it will have a huge negative impact on the global economy. He cited data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that "decoupling" and high tariffs could shrink the global economy by 7 percent.

There are risks, but also opportunities. The theme of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 is "Cooperation in the Age of Intelligence," focusing on the development potential brought by international cooperation in emerging technology fields such as artificial intelligence. Brende believes that if new technologies such as artificial intelligence are properly utilized, "global productivity will increase by 10 percent in the next decade."

Liang Guoyong, a senior economist at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, said that digitalization is an important driving force for the development of the world economy, and artificial intelligence is the technological engine of the digital economy. While reshaping the global economic landscape, artificial intelligence also fundamentally changes the source and mode of world economic growth.

Addressing Challenges through Cooperation

Brende said that many of the major risks currently facing the world transcend national boundaries, and the international community should work together to find global solutions to global problems. He emphasized that cooperation is the only way to address common challenges.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 will focus on areas such as reshaping global growth and boosting industrial development in the age of intelligence, fully exploring how countries can bridge differences in the age of intelligence, find new ways of cooperation to enhance economic resilience, guide the development of information technologies such as artificial intelligence for good, and jointly address challenges such as climate change.

Research by the World Economic Forum shows that the global cooperation order is facing challenges, and countries must find new ways to rebuild trust. Mark Ellenger, the global head of the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Initiative, said, "We are in the midst of a series of intertwined crises and urgently need coordinated collective action to rebuild trust and promote cooperation. If we do not act, the consequences will affect future generations."

As a new topic of international cooperation in recent years, the global governance of artificial intelligence will be one of the hot topics at this year's annual meeting. Liang Guoyong believes that the global governance of artificial intelligence requires the joint efforts of multilateral and bilateral cooperation. Multilateral institutions such as the United Nations play a central role in the global governance of the digital economy and artificial intelligence, promoting the adoption of the "Global Digital Compact." He pointed out that deepening cooperation among major powers is very important for promoting the sustainable development and international governance of artificial intelligence.

(The above picture shows a China - Europe freight train loaded with containers departing from the China - Kazakhstan (Lianyungang) Logistics Cooperation Base on Jan. 2. Drone photo by Wang Jianmin/Xinhua)

China's Contributions Draw High Attention

Many experts believe that in the face of the complex international situation, China has made important contributions to promoting global cooperation and addressing common challenges.

Brende said that China believes in the principle of win - win cooperation and plays an important role in South - South cooperation. As the world's second - largest economy, China has carried out close cooperation with other emerging economies, promoting the economic growth of many developing countries through various means such as investment.

Brende also said that in the face of the risks brought by "decoupling" and trade protectionism, China's foreign trade has demonstrated resilience. Brende is optimistic about the medium - and long - term development prospects of the Chinese economy. He said that China has taken a series of measures such as stimulating domestic consumption to effectively boost the economy. He believes that the long - term positive fundamentals of the Chinese economy have not changed, and it will continue to provide momentum for global economic growth.

Chen Liming, President of the World Economic Forum Greater China, said that in recent years, China has not only made remarkable progress in the development of artificial intelligence technology and industry, but also made positive contributions to the global governance of artificial intelligence. He said that China has put forward the "Global Initiative on AI Governance," providing a Chinese solution for global artificial intelligence governance and emphasizing the principle of equal importance of the development and security of artificial intelligence. "This initiative is not only a positive response to global challenges but also provides an important reference for the international community on the issue of artificial intelligence governance."