This year’s theme guiding the World Economic Forum summit is “rebuilding trust” and the founder of the annual meeting of global leaders says China will play a critical role.
In a recent interview with the Chinese state media outlet CGTN, Schwab said that the participation of Chinese Premier Li Qiang is critical to the conference.
“The participation of Premier Li Qiang could exactly be placed into this framework of rebuilding trust because as you know, there are many doubts at the moment whether China really could master all those challenges or is at the beginning of a fast slowing-down phase of its economic goals,” said Schwab.
“So to hear Premier Li Qiang speaking about the prospects of the Chinese economy and the role China will play inside the global economy, I think can restore and rebuild to a large extent – not only growing into China but growing into our global system.”
WEF managing director Gim Huay Neo also told CGTN that the organization was confident that the Chinese government was critical to addressing global challenges.
Lli, one of the highest-ranking officials in attendance at the WEF 2024 summit, joins the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron in addressing the gathering of global leaders.
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that Li received a personal invitation from Schwab to attend the forum. The premier will also make official visits to Switzerland and Ireland during the same week.
Li arrived in Switzerland with a warm welcome from Swiss President and Defense Minister Viola Amherd on Monday.
Prior to the beginning of the conference, WEF released its 2024 global threat risk report which ranked misinformation and disinformation as the foremost challenges facing the world, outranking even terrorism and inflation.
