DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- China's technological leaps and its commitment to deepening opening up are positioning the country as a new driver of global growth and a stabilizing anchor for the world economy, Deloitte China CEO Dora Liu told Xinhua in an exclusive interview.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting which runs from Jan. 19 to 23 this year, Liu described a global landscape fraught with weakening growth momentum, geopolitical flashpoints, and rising protectionism, among others.
"Existing hotspots remain difficult to resolve, and new conflict points and risks are emerging," she said.
On global trade, Liu pointed to assessments in a World Trade Organization report, which highlight trade policy uncertainty as a central feature of a deteriorating environment, citing tariff actions by the United States as one of the primary factors.
Looking into 2026, Liu expects global trade to face slower growth, deeper regionalization, and increased fragmentation.
Turning to China, she said the country's 5 percent economic growth in 2025 was hard-won against the backdrop of sluggish global economic growth. She noted that China has strong fundamentals, including a vast domestic market, a comprehensive industrial system, and deep human capital resources.
As 2026 marks the beginning of China's 15th Five-Year Plan, Liu said that greater emphasis is expected to be placed on upgrading the modern industrial system and fostering new growth drivers through innovation during the period.
She added that consumption's role as a pillar of sustainable growth is set to become more prominent, while more proactive macro policies are expected to continue supporting the momentum of sustained economic rebound.
Liu said that China's innovation-driven development is increasingly translating into commercial value, particularly in areas such as artificial intelligence, biomanufacturing, commercial space, and the low-altitude economy. She cited the World Intellectual Property Organization's Global Innovation Index 2025, which shows China entering the global top 10 and leading the world in the number of science and technology innovation clusters.
The growing international recognition of China's innovation ecosystem is also reflected in the behavior of multinational companies, which she said are increasingly integrating China into their core global research and development networks.
On openness and cooperation, Liu said China's steady expansion of institutional opening up provides measures of stability for global business, adding that China's continued opening of market opportunities encourages multinationals to diffuse innovation globally while supporting Chinese companies in contributing to the global green transition.
Looking ahead across the 15th Five-Year Plan period, she said that China will continue to provide Chinese experience and public goods for global innovation and sustainable development through platforms such as the Digital Silk Road and the Green Silk Road.
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