Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao participates in the opening ceremony of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2008, or Summer Davos, hosted by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on September 27. During his speech, Wen stresses that measures will be taken to further deepen and broaden opening-up and strengthen IPR protection.

Mr. Wen points out that we will further deepen and broaden opening-up. Opening-up also means reform. Only an open and inclusive country can prosper. China’s opening-up is long-term and all-directional that benefits all. We will stick to all those policies that facilitate opening-up. We will keep learning from and drawing upon all the achievements of human civilization. We will take an active part in economic globalization, promote the establishment of a just and equitable international trade system and financial regime. We will firmly support the efforts to achieve early and balanced results at the Doha Round negotiations and improve the norms governing international trade, push forward trade and investment liberalization and facilitation, and continue to play a constructive role in the multilateral trading system. We will deepen the foreign-related economic structural reform, improve foreign-related economic laws, regulations and policies, expand market access, strengthen the protection of intellectual property rights and provide a better environment for foreign businesses in China. With a better system, a dynamic society, sustained and steady development and greater openness, China will not only bring more benefits to the 1.3 billion Chinese people, but also make greater contribution to world peace and development.

After the speech, Mr. Wen meets with some representatives of entrepreneurs and answers questions raised by Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of WEF and entrepreneurs. Asked when and by what means can China lift its export into a new level, export commodities of its own brands and make great progresses in product quality and innovation, Mr. Wen indicates that China maintains fast growth in export, but lacks independent brands, especially its own IPRs. The competition in the current world is actually the competition of IPRs. I believe, as long as we adhere to the correct policy, we can create an environment for free and equal competition and bring people’s intelligence into full play. By doing this, we can improve the quality of our exported products and increase our independent brands and IPRs; however, this will be an arduous course.

The annual meeting of the Summer Davos Forum is the global event hosted by WEF outside Davos. This year, the event is held in Tianjin, co-sponsored by the National Development and Reform Commission of China. Established by Mr. Schwab in 1971 with headquarters in Geneva of Switzerland, WEF convenes its annual meeting at the beginning of every year in Davos.