China readies Davos sales pitch as US grants Beijing window of opportunity

Vice-Premier He Lifeng is expected to pitch China as a reliable partner on Tuesday, contrasting Beijing’s stability with Trump’s unilateralism before US president’s address

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A sign of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on January 20, 2025. Photo: AFP

Published: 12:00pm, 19 Jan 2026Updated: 12:57pm, 19 Jan 2026

As political and business leaders gather in the Swiss town of Davos for this year’s World Economic Forum, scheduled to begin on Monday, analysts expect China to continue positioning itself as a reliable trade partner and supporter of multilateralism – stances drawing an implicit contrast with the United States under President Donald Trump.

This year’s meeting, themed “A Spirit of Dialogue”, will take place amid heightened global tensions in the wake of several controversial actions by Trump’s administration: the abduction of former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, a renewed campaign to seize Denmark’s self-ruled territory Greenland and threats of military intervention in Iran.

With Trump drawing widespread condemnation or criticism for these displays of unilateral authority, observers noted he has given Beijing an opening to argue China is a more responsible steward of international norms.

“China could play the role of the ‘good student’ of international law, one that supports multilateralism,” said Sacha Courtial, a China researcher at the Institut Jacques Delors think tank in France.

High-profile Chinese officials have regularly attended the Davos forum. Vice-Premier He Lifeng, Beijing’s point person on economic affairs and lead delegate throughout last year’s trade talks with the US, will deliver a keynote address on Tuesday. Trump, heading a large American delegation, is slated to speak one day later.

The forum, which runs through Friday, regularly draws global political leaders, business elites and highly accomplished academics. In a report published by the forum on Wednesday, participants were surveyed for their opinions on the state of the world. Half agreed that the next two years were likely to be “turbulent or stormy”, an increase of 14 percentage points compared with 2025. A further 40 per cent said the world would be “unsettled” at a minimum.

Hong Kong will also be sending a delegation to this year’s summit, with Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing chairman Carlson Tong Ka-shing and CEO Bonnie Y. Chan, along with the president of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Nancy Ip Yuk-yu, set to speak at different sessions, according to the official programme.