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World Economic Forum
Economy

China sends smallest Davos delegation in years amid concern zero-Covid is limiting its voice on world stage

  • The Chinese delegation at Davos this year is unusually small, with representation in only four of more than 200 discussions
  • China’s strict Covid-19 quarantine rules have been blamed, a situation that will limit its chance to outline global policy goals

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This year’s small Chinese delegation at Davos is in marked contrast to previous years. Photo: Xinhua
Frank Tang
China’s absence from most policy discussions at this week’s World Economic Forum in Davos has raised questions about how much it stands to lose should Beijing persist with its zero-Covid policy amid continuing talk of decoupling.
The world’s second largest economy, which is increasingly important to global policymaking, will miss the opportunity to outline its policy goals and ease concerns among foreign businesses, which are becoming increasingly frustrated by disruptions caused by Beijing’s hardline pandemic containment, observers say.

Participation in the forum, which is being held in person for the first time in more than two years, is vital given divisions on a variety of global issues, including a food crisis and high inflation caused by the Ukraine war, pressure from US monetary tightening and high levels of debt in emerging economies.

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The four-day Open Forum Davos, which started on Monday, includes more than 200 parallel discussion sessions, but China will officially take part in only four, according to a schedule released by the organiser.

The highest ranking Chinese participant is climate change special envoy Xie Zhenhua, who is expected to sit side by side with his US counterpart John Kerry in a one-hour panel discussion titled Safeguarding Our Planet and People on Tuesday.

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