The 2009 World Design Congress and the first Beijing International Design Week opened at the Beijing World Art Museum on October 24, 2009. The World Design Development Summit was held at the same time, where international and Chinese designers as well as government officials discussed the future of the design industry.

Though the Chinese economy has been developing at a fast pace throughout the past 30 years, cheap labor and investment are still the main drivers of the economy, according to Gu Shengzu, member of the Standing Committee of NPC and vice chairman of the Central Committee of China National Democratic Construction Association. He described the Chinese economy as "large but not strong, fast but not high-quality." He cited an example of the profit distribution of a mouse sold at the price US$24. The designers earn US$8, while the manufacturers get merely US$0.3.

"An innovation-driven country invests 2 percent of GDP into research and development, while China only invests 1.49 percent. The contribution of technology and science to the economy should be as high as 70 percent, while in China the index is only 39 percent. The dependence on foreign countries should be less than 30 percent, but in China the index is 60 percent. China is now transitioning from a manufacturing country to an innovation country. And design plays a vital role," Gu said.

He added, "New ideas bring about new technology and expands a country's market. An American study shows that for each dollar invested in design, about US$2,400 can be generated." The goal for China is to become an "innovative country" by 2020.

Developing an innovative economy has become a national strategy in the 12th five-year plan of China, according to Gu. The country will educate more talents, protect intellectual property rights and cultivate people's capability of design, which is called "crowd sourcing." Many international corporations such as Peugeot and L'Oreal have held design competitions to encourage ordinary people to work on new ideas.

International professionals shared their concepts and models of design and innovation. David Kester, Chief Executive of the UK Design Council, said that the purpose of the organization is not only to promote individual designers, but also to promote the use of design at the heart of the business and public sectors. The important skills the designers need in the future are "sustainability, strategy and service design."

In the coming week, five international forums, 25 exhibitions, 13 design campaigns and 46 themed design workshops will be held in Beijing. Another 22 design companies, studios and creative hubs will be open to public.