The 3D-printed Minimalist Lightweight Micro Turbojet Engine, which was developed independently by the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC), successfully completed its first flight test in North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Tuesday, AECC announced on its official WeChat account on Wednesday.

According to the AECC, the engine is the first of its kind in China to complete a flight test, with a thrust level of 160 kilograms. The engine, which utilized multidisciplinary topological optimization and additive manufacturing technology, represents a revolutionary integration and innovation in aviation engine design and manufacturing processes, filling a domestic gap in the full-scale engineering application of this technology.

The flight test was conducted according to the planned scheme. It reached a maximum altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level, which fully verified the engine's reliability and stability under real flight conditions. The success of the test marks significant progress in China's application of deep integration of multidisciplinary topological optimization design and additive manufacturing in aviation power engineering.

The engine’s development team tackled key technologies such as multidisciplinary topological optimization design tailored for additive manufacturing and integrated design of components, significantly reducing the engine's structural weight and achieving remarkable improvements in key performance indicators. To ensure the success of the flight test on the first attempt, the engine had completed critical ground tests, including performance standards and engine life, before the test flight.

This successful maiden flight will lay a more solid technical foundation for the development of subsequent advanced aviation engines, said AECC.

China is confident in and capable of maintaining rapid economic growth, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said Wednesday, vowing that the country will always keep the doors wide open and warmly welcome businesses from all countries to invest and deepen their roots in China.

Li made the remarks when addressing the opening plenary of the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC), also known as the Summer Davos, in North China's Tianjin.

Themed "Entrepreneurship for a New Era," the event, held from Tuesday to Thursday, is gathering around 1,800 leading figures from more than 90 countries and regions to explore how entrepreneurship and emerging technologies can unlock more dynamic and resilient economies, Xinhua News Agency reported.

President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa, Prime Minister of Singapore Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Aleshovich Kasymaliev, Prime Minister of Senegal Ousmane Sonko, and Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh would also attend AMNC this year, according to an earlier announcement of Chinese Foreign Ministry.

"Over the years, no matter how the international environment has changed, China's economy has consistently maintained a good momentum," Li said, noting that China's GDP grew by 5.4 percent in the first quarter of 2025 despite facing significantly heightened external shocks this year.

China's economic development is not about short-term spurts, but sustained progress toward long-term goals, Li added. He also noted that China is moving toward becoming a high-income country as a whole, driven by strong demand for consumption upgrades in the world's second-largest consumer and import market.

Li said China's sustained breakthroughs and advances in innovation will inject fresh vitality into global development, which will accelerate global economic growth, per Xinhua.

He also called on the international community to take constructive actions in international economic and trade cooperation.

"Constructive actions mean we need to proactively take measures to safeguard free trade and multilateralism and promote the stable development of the world economy," Li said. The premier called for resolving disputes and differences through dialogue.

Li further said China will continue to deepen its integration and connectivity with the world market and strengthen industrial collaboration with various countries.

Premier Li's speech has drawn broad positive response at the Summer Davos, as many international attendees recognize the achievements of China's high-quality development and major contributions to global trade and economic growth, eyeing greater opportunities from China's massive market and pioneering innovations.

Confidence in economy

During the Summer Davos, World Economic Forum President Borge Brende shared an optimistic outlook on China's economic prospects.

"I'm relatively optimistic for the Chinese economy, both in the medium-term and long-term. China has already diversified, in addition, China is pivoting from manufacturing of goods to more services and digital trade. We are also seeing a lot of new technologies being applied. China is doing very well in artificial intelligence (AI), on robotics," he said, reported Xinhua.

"There has been a 5.4 percent year-on-year growth in China in the first quarter this year, and the premier said key economic indicators continued to improve in the second quarter. Even though there are a lot of challenges, China is able to overcome them. That's very positive," Bassam Al-Ibrahim, a representative from General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority of Qatar, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the forum on Wednesday.

Now, China is probably at the forefront of innovation from all the technological aspects, and innovation is going to be one of the driving forces for China, especially AI, Al-Ibrahim said.

Joel Ruet, president of the Bridge Tank in France, said Premier Li's speech continued the theme of his speech delivered at last year's Summer Davos - promoting the country's high-quality development and firm commitment to opening-up.

It's reassuring to see continuity in countries including China and within the ecosystem of entrepreneurs, because we live in a world where we perceive many abrupt changes taking place, Ruet told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Driven by the notable strides in advancing innovation-driven development, China's economy has advanced steadily, and demonstrated robust resilience and development potential.

A recent report released by the World Bank showed that China's economy maintained growth momentum in early 2025, and in response to global trade uncertainty, the government has implemented accommodative monetary and fiscal policies. Recently, international institutions, such as J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs, have revised up China's growth prospects.

Call for cooperation

As the world economy is confronted with a worsening growth predicament due to the escalation of geopolitical conflicts and policy uncertainty, global leaders from government, business, academia and other fields at the Summer Davos also called for win-win cooperation and close collaboration to deal with challenges.

Robert Koopman, Hurst Senior Professorial Lecturer with the School of International Service of American University, especially highlighted Premier Li's emphasis on global trade and cooperation and coordination.

"I think there's a deeply ingrained understanding of the importance of access to global markets, of access to global technology, and the positive spillovers that come from that kind of access and cooperation," Koopman told the Global Times on Wednesday.

"This is my first time participating in the Summer Davos, and I'm happy to be here to see the various discussions and collaboration between different governments, public, and business parties from around the world," Hisham Aljadhey, president of Saudi Food & Drug Authority, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

The event provides an important platform for dialogue where governments and businesses are talking about many key economic issues that matter to the world today, seeking understanding and consensus, according to Aljadhey.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government strongly condemned on late Thursday night the latest remarks made by US Consul General to Hong Kong Gregory May that totally disregarded the spirit of the rule of law and deliberately misled the public and smeared the National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and the work of the HKSAR safeguarding national security including the case of Jimmy Lai.

With at least 21 pieces of laws in the US safeguarding national security, US politicians have displayed hypocrisy and exposed their double standards by pointing fingers at the HKSAR's legal system and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard national security, while entirely disregarding the constitutional duty and practical needs of the HKSAR to legislate, and the positive effects brought by the enactment of the relevant national security legislation on economic development and protection of human rights, a spokesperson from the HKSAR government said.

The American diplomat in Hong Kong on Thursday criticized Hong Kong's national security law and the jailing of Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, and engaging in the so-called "transnational repression" of activists abroad, Reuters reported.

As the legal proceedings of the case involving Lai are still ongoing, it is inappropriate for any person to comment on the details of the case, the Hong Kong spokesperson said. The HKSAR government strongly urges US politicians to immediately stop interfering in the HKSAR's internal affairs and the independent exercise of judicial power by the courts of the HKSAR, the spokesperson added.

May also criticized attempts by Hong Kong authorities to "pressure overseas Hong Kong activists" including the issuing of arrest warrants for national security violations and offering bounties of HK$1 million ($127,393) each, Reuters said.

Extraterritorial effect for the offences under the NSL for Hong Kong and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance fully aligns with the principles of international law, international practice and common practice adopted in various countries and regions, the HKSAR government spokesperson said.

It is both necessary and legitimate, and is also in line with those of other countries and regions around the world. As the law enforcement department of the HKSAR safeguarding national security, the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) are duty bound to pursue the liability of those who have endangered national security overseas, the spokesperson said.

Those absconders hiding in the US and other Western countries are wanted because they continue to blatantly engage in activities endangering national security, including inciting secession and requesting foreign countries to impose "sanctions" or blockade and engage in other hostile activities against the country and the HKSAR, the spokesperson continued.

More so, they continue to collude with external forces to cover for their evil deeds. It is necessary for the HKPF to take all lawful measures to strongly combat the acts of abscondment, and such actions are fully justified, necessary and legitimate, the spokesperson said.