Interview: Countries must pull together to tackle global problems: WEF managing director

DAVOS, Switzerland, May 25 (Xinhua) -- No single country can solve the current wave of world problems and a globally-coordinated response and global cooperation are needed, said Jeremy Jurgens, managing director of the World Economic Forum (WEF) here on Tuesday.

The world now is facing many global challenges, including the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, supply chain challenges, food security challenges and an energy crisis, Jurgens told Xinhua in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the WEF in Davos

These challenges are "not limited to any single country or any single region," he said.

"No single country can solve COVID on their own or address the energy crisis, or the food crisis, on their own. So, any one of these challenges requires a globally-coordinated response and global cooperation," he added.

On climate, "we can actually see countries coming together cooperating, and again, the solutions will need to be varied by industry or country. But there's still more in common than there is difference in these aspects," Jurgens said.

He stressed the importance of global collaboration as the key to advancing scientific research on issues such as climate change, health care and energy transformation.

China is making a number of important contributions to science and technology, he said.

"China is the most digitally-connected country. There's a lot of innovation taking place in applications, using artificial intelligence, and machine learning, to provide new solutions cost-effectively in a way that can be inclusive," he said.

"What we see being pioneered in China can then be extended into other countries around the world," said Jurgens.

China has played a critical role in cutting-edge technologies such as renewable technologies and energy transformation, he added.

"One of the first areas I'd highlight is AI (artificial intelligence) and machine-learning," he said.

"In other areas, China has been a leader in solar technologies, having long been an export market, and also new battery technologies. For example, CATL has become the largest battery manufacturer recently," he said.

Jurgens said other areas were still being developed, such as quantum technologies and space technologies.

"Across a broad spectrum, China is playing an active role in developing them, and we hope to be in a position also to share those advances with the world," he added.

Jurgens, an expert on the fourth industrial revolution at the World Economic Forum, highlighted his vision of the most significant trends for the future.

"In quantum computing, we'll be able to run much better calculations on chemical reactions on building new materials, and to understand complex challenges," he said.

Using both advanced AI and quantum computing will unlock new advances in other domains, he stressed.

"With synthetic biology, we'll be able to develop synthetic fuels to replace the carbon fuels that are used today in aviation, and other domains. We'll be able to create new agricultural solutions, ideally reducing chemicals that are applied to crops," Jurgens said."