TIANJIN - A group of ordinary citizens will deliver keynote speeches at the summer Davos summit for the first time.

Eight citizen representatives are set to speak at a sub-forum of the 2012 summer Davos summit, slated for September 11 to 13 in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, the forum's preparation office announced Monday.

The move is aimed at better integrating the host city and the summit as well as promoting civic engagement, said He Ronglin, vice-chairman of the Tianjin Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

The citizen participants will be selected from a pool of applicants who are permanent Tianjin residents that have made contributions to a certain field and possess good presentation skills, according to the office.

It noted that non-locals who have been working regularly in Tianjin,including non-Chinese citizens, are also welcome to join the competition.

In addition to speaking at the sub-forum, the selected citizens will also attend the opening and closing ceremonies and some closed-door meetings of the event.

During the 2010 summer Davos summit held in Tianjin, five citizens were invited to the event as visitors.