The World Economic Forum's (WEF) annual summit on innovation, science and technology and entrepreneurship, the annual meeting of the new champions, was recently held on Sept 18-20 in Tianjin, China. These 8 surprising facts summarise the aggressive economic and sustainability aspirations of China, being driven primarily through technology and innovation leadership. The fundamental mission apparently is to be the first nation deploying 5G and lead in EVs globally. –Vinay Piparsania