Highlights of day one at the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2016

From the shadow of Brexit to the promise of China's New Silk Road, here's a round-up of the top discussions, pictures and videos to come out of the opening day of the World Economic Forum's "summer Davos", taking place this week in Tianjin, China.

Britain's recent decision to leave the European Union and its economic implications for the rest of the world dominated the conversations, with several experts taking a gloomy view.

"It could be – I’m not saying it is going to be – the beginning of the disintegration of the European Union or the Eurozone," said Nouriel Roubini, the economist who predicted the 2008 housing crash in the United States.

The Brexit session drew the largest crowd of the day.

Eurasia Group's Ian Bremmer issued this statement:

But it wasn't all about Brexit. Not entirely. There were other dazzling moments in a day of of illuminations and bright ideas. New technologies, for instance.

Here's Uber's Travis Kalanick talking about new inventions and the unpredictability of how they will disrupt our lives.

Not all new technologies are disruptive, however: internet-connected reading glasses could bring happiness to thousands.

As could big data and truly cyber-resilient systems.

China's relationship with neighbouring nations came under scrutiny, with the focus ranging from the newly revamped Silk Road trade route to rising tensions in the South China Sea.

Speaking on the territorial dispute over the maritime nine-dash line, which threatens to unbalance diplomatic ties between China, the Philippines, Vietnam and other countries also claiming ownership of the waters, Zhu Feng of Nanjing University was wary. “China should keep a cool head,” he cautioned.

Here's Ian Bremmer talking about the relationship between China and the United States.

There were several lively sessions on the Chinese economy; with the recent growth slowdown attracting the world's attention and only 70 days left until the G20 Summit, which China is hosting in the city of Hangzhou.

Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Baodong set out China's G20 agenda. Items included strengthening international trade and investment, promoting inclusive development and long-term sustainable growth.

Join us tomorrow for another day of news, views and livestreamed debates, with sessions covering everything from blockchain to Brexit and China's green-energy revolution. All the themes of the meeting are explored in depth in a series of blogs on our website, which you can read here.