Donald Trump won’t be at Davos, but trade talks could go on without him
- US president has cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum, where he had been tipped to hold a meeting with Wang Qishan
- Analysts say negotiations are on track and there could be more exchanges between the two sides in Switzerland
US President Donald Trump may have missed a chance to meet Chinese Vice-President Wang Qishan after he pulled out of the World Economic Forum in Davos, but analysts say trade talks between the two sides remain on track.
Trump said in a tweet on Thursday he had cancelled his trip to the forum, citing the “safety of our nation” as the reason amid a partial government shutdown in the United States as he continues to push for funding for a border wall with Mexico.
“Because of the Democrats’ intransigence on border security and the great importance of safety for our nation, I am respectfully cancelling my very important trip to Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “My warmest regards and apologies to the @wef!”
There had also been speculation that potential high-level dialogue could lead to a breakthrough on the trade dispute and even reduce tension over the arrest of Huawei Technologies executive Sabrina Meng Wanzhou.
Wang Yong, deputy director of the Centre for New Structural Economics at Peking University, said it was a missed opportunity.
