Chinese vice-president sends signal to Washington via Singapore economic forum
- Beijing wants high-level dialogue with the US, observers said after Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan’s attended the Bloomberg New Economy Forum
- Worsening relations between the two countries dominates discussion at economic event
Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan’s presence at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore was a signal from Beijing that it wants to engage in high-level dialogue with the United States, according to observers.
The list of attending Chinese officials at the New Economy Forum was not decided until a week before the event opened on Tuesday, but originally was headed by a ministerial-level official, according to a source.
The late decision to send Wang was intended to show that China still attached importance to the event, despite the venue moving from the original choice of Beijing to Singapore, the source said.
The decision to move the forum, jointly held with the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges, an influential think tank based in Beijing, to Singapore was made in August to avoid a clash with the International Import Expo in Shanghai.
Around 400 senior executives of multinational companies attended the forum to discuss changes in the world economy, especially among emerging markets.
China is ready to talk to resolve US trade war, says Wang
But the event was dominated by worsening China-US relations. Former US officials, including Henry Paulson and Henry Kissinger, warned of the risks facing the global economy if the two nations failed to get along.