China’s Xi Jinping to discuss coronavirus-era challenges with Merkel, Suga and Modi at virtual Davos
- Xi Jinping is expected to emphasise China’s success in combating the coronavirus and call for international cooperation on the pandemic and climate change
- In his last speech to the Davos forum in 2017, days before Donald Trump was sworn in as US president, Xi warned about the dangers of a trade war
Chinese President Xi Jinping will join global leaders next week at a virtual meeting organised by the World Economic Forum that will focus on the economic, environmental, social and technological challenges facing the world amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Switzerland-based institution said on Monday.
“The need to reset priorities and the urgency to reform systems have been growing stronger around the world,” Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the forum, said in a statement. “Rebuilding trust and increasing global cooperation are crucial to fostering innovative and bold solutions to stem the pandemic and drive a robust recovery.”
The Davos Agenda 2021, set to be held between January 25 and January 29, will be attended by global leaders including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
As the global economy has not yet walked out of the crisis, the call for international economic and financial policy coordination would also be crucial
No senior US officials have been listed as attending the event and it remains unclear if the new administration of Joe Biden will send anyone. However, the participation of Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, has been confirmed.
“Pandemic-related international cooperation and technology exchanges would be the most eye-catching topic in such an important multilateral occasion,” Wang said.
“As the global economy has not yet walked out of the crisis, the call for international economic and financial policy coordination would also be crucial.”
01:33
China’s economy accelerated at end of 2020, but virus-hit annual growth lowest in 45 years
The Davos forum has long been seen as an important platform for Chinese leaders to deliver policy messages to the global political and business elite. The interaction between US and Chinese officials at the event is closely watched.
The timing of Xi’s address this year will come days after the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden, and may be used to send a message to the new administration about China‘s view on the outlook for bilateral and multilateral relations.
Xi’s last major speech to the Davos forum was in January 2017, just before Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president.
In that speech, Xi said China was a leader in upholding multilateralism and economic globalisation, which was seen as a direct response to the election campaign claims from Trump, who later launched a trade war and dramatically escalated bilateral tension on a number of fronts in what some believe was an attempt to start a new cold war.
“Those who push for protectionism are shutting themselves inside a dark house,” the Chinese president said. “They have escaped the rain and clouds outside, but also missed the light and air. A trade war will only lead to suffering on both sides.”
Trump began placing tariffs on Chinese goods in July 2018, 20 months later.
“China’s new development theory continued the views expressed at Davos, including cooperation, mutual benefits and win-win,” state broadcaster CCTV said on Sunday.
03:23
China mocks the US as Beijing compares chaos at Capitol with Hong Kong protests
“It will stand on the right side of history, striving for an open global economy and a community with a shared destiny.”
With domestic issues likely to dominate the early days of his presidency, Biden, who will be sworn in on Wednesday, has not made clear what his overall China policy will be, saying last month he would leave the trade war tariffs in place for now while his administration conducts a thorough strategic review.
However, his picks of China critics as top officials, including Katherine Tai for US Trade Representative, suggest a continued tough stance.
Currently, relations between the world’s two largest economies have plunged to the lowest point in more than four decades, with flashpoints including the trade imbalance, technological containment of Huawei Technologies Co., Hong Kong and Taiwan.
I believe it would be wise to quickly re-establish a framework like that of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue
Robert Rogowsky, a professor of trade and economic diplomacy at the California-based Middlebury Institute of International Studies, said a successful working relationship between China and the US was important for both countries and the world.
“In the very least, I believe it would be wise to quickly re-establish a framework like that of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue,” he said. “It would force leaders on both sides to sit down regularly and to talk within a formal structure.”
The framework, which allowed the two countries to discuss strategic and economic issues, was established by US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao in 2006 and later expanded during the presidency of Barack Obama. It was abandoned by Trump early in his presidency.
