Dalian, a coastal city in Northeast China's Liaoning Province, is poised for a place on the world business map today when it hosts the Inaugural Annual Meeting of the New Champions, or the Summer Davos. Xia Deren, mayor of Dalian, speaks with China Daily reporter about Dalian's preparation for Summer Davos.

Q: What's the difference between Summer Davos and the winter version?

A: The World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, draws leaders from business, government and international institutions each year to exchange opinions and ideas. The themes of the event are usually the hottest economic and political topics of the year.

Now the world economy has entered a phase of development, as more and more new companies are emerging and reshaping the landscape of the business world. The Summer Davos is expected to provide an opportunity for these new champions to exchange opinions on the latest world issues, such as energy, education, the environment and technology.

Q: What's been the response of local companies to Summer Davos?

A: Local companies have been quite interested in attending the event. As we have mentioned, a great deal of multinational companies will gather in Dalian at that time, and the meeting is a great platform for business cooperation.

There will be more than 60 sessions during Summer Davos. Some of the topics such as corporate governance and management could offer great insights for improving companies' competitiveness. A number of Chinese Fortune 500 companies, such as Sinopec, CNOOC and China Mobile, will be coming to the event.

Q: How will Dalian present itself to the world during Summer Davos?

A: There will be more than 8,000 guests in Dalian for Summer Davos. I'm sure they will be impressed by the city's beauty. At the same time, more than 1,000 domestic and foreign reporters will also come to report the event, which will help audiences around the world learn more about the city.

Meanwhile, we will organize a series of meetings and forums to promote face-to-face exchanges between local and multinational companies, to introduce them to Dalian's outstanding investment environment.

(China Daily September 6, 2007)