Emerging from a financial winter at the summer Davos
- Source: Global Times
- [22:29 September 14 2009]
- Comments
By James Chau
New. Green. Asia.
The three words most touted at the Summer Davos, a prominent economic forum, in Dalian, Liaoning Province, promised much of the annual meeting when our world is especially in flux.
The year 2009 has been a year of "change" with an African American president in the US, the ousting of a Latin leader in Honduras and an economic downturn that could be recovering toward an upturn.
I was writing to you from the plane somewhere over Dalian where seated to the front, back and side of me are some of the 1,300 delegates who talked of "new" all week.
Business, political and civil society leaders agree that traditional concepts must be thrown out the window, with Liu Jiren of China's Neusoft Corporation calling for domestic consumption over export-driven models.
Meanwhile, Ben Verwaayen of Alcatel-Lucent warns that the world pre-crisis "is not coming back." Of course, it's not just a world with an unprecedented financial crisis but one that comes with social and environmental obstacles, too.
The "green economy" dominated the Summer Davos before it even began with the World Economic Forum arranging industry visits to new energy plants and the city of Dalian bussing in delegates on low-emission vehicles.
Meanwhile, talk of a green economy continued at the event itself with "carbon emissions" and "sustainable development" fashionably bandied about. But is it just talk? Are these just catchphrases? And will the environment stay in the foreground once the financial crisis is blown away?
Asia would always loom large at a gathering held in one of its own countries and at a time when many of its emerging economies are outperforming the traditional powerhouses. But while regional domestic demand is needed to offset a decline in American consumption, perhaps the answer to the global downturn is less Asia and more China.
On the way to the airport, I walked past a Financial Times reporter filming an online video for the paper's website and asking his viewers a question more and more of us are now pondering: "Will China pull the world out of this economic recession?"
Indeed (and on cue), Premier Wen Jiabao referred to the government's huge stimulus plan to expand domestic demand that hasn't just seen millions of Chinese trade in their old refrigerators for new, but has also created 6.6 million jobs in urban areas and helped inject 7.1 percent in growth this year.
The World Economic Forum must play its part in promoting the UN Millennium Development Goals and we must continue promoting security in the Northeast Asian region.
Former Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi is co-chair of the International Commission on Nuclear Non- Proliferation and Disarmament. She told me that the answer begins with our young people – give them the space for them to be effectively heard, instill in them the tools with which to understand each other and place them in positions where they can spread that spirit throughout their communities.
Compared to the World Economic Forums in India and the Middle East, gender parity triggered less interest amongst delegates at this gathering. Encouraging, supporting and growing women into business leaders is a significant concern. Figures showing that in most Asian economies, women command only about a third of senior management positions.
But it's not just about leaders in major multinationals. We must place equal importance on village women who survive on earnings from their street stalls. Likewise, at a time when the world (and its economies) are being ravaged by the A (H1N1) pandemic, there must be serious discussion on public health concerns.
The World Economic Forum is committed to "improving the state of the world" and we support its good work by taking that further.
The author is a Media Leader of the World Economic Forum. He anchors the news on CCTV- 9 and is a UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. www.james-chau. com
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