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This
year's forum, from Jan. 17-20, is expected to be dominated by
discussion of a surge in public hostility toward globalization
and the rise of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, whose tough
talk on trade, including promises of tariffs against China and
Mexico, helped win him the White House. Trump will be sworn in
on Jan. 20.
Xi is the first Chinese president to ever attend the WEF's
annual forum in Davos, which brings together top-level political
and business leaders.
Jiang Jianguo, head of the State Council Information Office,
told a symposium hosted by the World Trade Organization in
Geneva that President Xi would go to Davos to push for
development, cooperation and economic globalization in order to
build "a human community with shared destiny."
"With the rise of populism, protectionism, and nativism, the
world has come to a historic crossroad where one road leads to
war, poverty, confrontation and domination while the other road
leads to peace, development, cooperation and win-win solutions,"
Jiang said.
At a briefing in Beijing on the Davos visit, Vice Foreign
Minister Li Baodong said China would respond to the
international community's concern over globalization by putting
forward Beijing's opinions on how to "steer economic
globalization toward greater inclusiveness.".
Li said criticism of trade protectionism leveled at China, by
Trump and others, was unjust. "Trade protectionism will lead to
isolation and is in the interest of no one," he said.
"Channels of communication are open" between China and Trump's
transition team at the forum, Li said, but warned that
scheduling a meeting might be difficult.
Days after Trump's victory, Xi vowed to fight protectionism and
to push forward with multilateral trade deals. Foreign
businesses in China have long complained about a lack of market
access and protectionist Chinese policies.
Xi will attend the Davos forum on Jan. 17, part of a three-day
state visit to Switzerland from Jan. 15 to 18.
The United States will be represented at Davos by Vice President
Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry, days before they
leave office, as well as someone from the Trump transition team,
the WEF said on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Michael Perry and
Raissa Kasolowsky)
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