BEIJING: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos and visit Switzerland from January 19 to 22, at the invitation of WEF and the Swiss government. He will attend and address the opening plenary of the annual meeting, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.
The theme of this year’s annual meeting is “A Spirit of Dialogue.” The world is fraught with uncertainties and instabilities and struggling to find drivers for growth, said Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on Friday at a regular press conference.
“China looks forward to working with all participating parties to increase dialogue and exchanges, pool consensus for cooperation, practice true multilateralism, jointly build an open world economy, strive for global development that is more inclusive, resilient and beneficial for all, and inject more stability and positive energy for the world economy,” Guo said.
Amid growing uncertainty in the world, China advocates resolving disputes through dialogue and consensus-building, seeking the “greatest common denominator” in order to deepen cooperation with other countries. Meanwhile, China provides several cooperation platforms for countries from all over the world, especially from the Global South, to promote multilateralism, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Friday.
The WEF’s Global Risks Report 2026, published on Wednesday, found that geoeconomic confrontation has emerged as the top risk for the year, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarization, and misinformation and disinformation.
“A new competitive order is taking shape as major powers seek to secure their spheres of interest. This shifting landscape, where cooperation looks markedly different than it did yesterday, reflects a pragmatic reality: collaborative approaches and the spirit of dialogue remain essential,” according to Borge Brende, President and CEO of WEF, in remarks released on the forum’s website.
The foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that the WEF Annual Meeting is an important platform for discussions on global economic trend and on how to promote cooperation and development, and is known as the “wind vane of the world economy.”
“Our Annual Meeting in Davos will serve as a vital platform for understanding risks and opportunities and for building the bridges needed to address them,” Brende said.
This year’s theme will bring record numbers of world leaders to the WEF Annual Meeting, including a record 400 top political leaders, nearly 850 of the world’s top CEOs and chairs, and almost 100 leading unicorns and technology pioneers, according to a release by the WEF on Tuesday.
Analysts pointed out that China has set an example for the world by demonstrating that disputes can be resolved through dialogue. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
