WEF Summer Davos closes in Dalian with Li Qiang hosting six leaders; South Korea's PM ends a ten-year absence

Summary

The World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions, known as Summer Davos, concluded in Dalian on June 25 after three days under the theme of scaling innovation into growth, jobs and competitiveness. Chinese Premier Li Qiang hosted six heads of government in bilateral meetings during the forum. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok attended, the first Korean prime minister at the forum in ten years, and held bilateral talks with Li Qiang on trade normalisation and AI investment cooperation. Kim outlined South Korea's vision for AI-driven industrial policy. More than 1,500 participants from government, business and civil society attended the three-day meeting.

The split

Chinese state media covered the meeting as validation of Dalian's standing as a global technology and innovation hub, emphasising foreign attendance as engagement with Beijing despite geopolitical pressure. South Korean press focused on the bilateral dimension, treating Kim's attendance as a cautious warming signal in Seoul-Beijing relations strained by years of THAAD tension. European and US business press gave the forum limited attention, noting the absence of major Western government ministers. No EU or US cabinet-level officials attended.

By the numbers

• 6, heads of government hosted by Li Qiang in bilaterals during the forum
• 10, years since South Korea's last prime ministerial attendance at Summer Davos
• 1,500+, participants at the three-day forum in Dalian

Why it matters

Summer Davos is the primary venue where China's leadership engages multilaterally with business and government leaders outside formal state visits. Kim Min-seok's attendance, after a decade of Korean absences, is calibrated: South Korea is simultaneously deepening its semiconductor-export alignment with Washington under CHIPS Act frameworks while trying to prevent further deterioration with its largest trading partner. Li Qiang's bilateral slate reflects China's current diplomatic posture, engaging Asian and non-Western middle powers at a moment when Western counterparts are absent.

What to watch

• Whether the Li-Kim bilateral produces a concrete framework on chip-export controls or EV battery trade.
• South Korea's follow-up diplomatic communications on THAAD, the unresolved irritant in the bilateral relationship.
• Attendance profile at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos in January 2027, as a gauge of whether Western re-engagement with China-hosted forums is expanding.