Gim Huay Neo delivers a speech at the Tianjin 2026 Global Business Leaders Roundtable. [Photo/Jinyun App]

The Tianjin 2026 Global Business Leaders Roundtable opened on March 25, bringing global business leaders together to explore the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation. During the plenary session, World Economic Forum Managing Director and Greater China Chair Gim Huay Neo delivered a keynote address.

Neo noted that one of the most pressing challenges facing multinational companies today is how to translate technological breakthroughs into tangible industrial growth. While innovation continues to accelerate worldwide, she observed that many industrial systems still lag behind, particularly in areas such as advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and digital infrastructure.

She emphasized that future competition will no longer depend solely on individual companies, but on the keen insight and resilience of broader innovation ecosystems. This is why industrial clusters, she noted, are becoming increasingly vital — not only as engines of economic growth but also as accelerators of the global energy transition.

According to Neo, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are enabling greater coordination between manufacturing and energy systems, while reshaping traditional models of competition toward collaboration.

She called for closer cooperation among governments, businesses, investors, and research institutions, expressing hope that the roundtable would foster dialogue, strengthen partnerships, and contribute to a more dynamic and interconnected global innovation ecosystem.