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World Economic Forum

World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss non-profit foundation that is best known for its annual meeting in Davos, an alpine resort. The meeting brings together global business leaders, politicians, intellectuals and journalists to discuss the issues of the day. The gathering is often simply termed “Davos”, a reference to its venue. The WEF also holds the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC) or “Summer Davos”.
last updated:
22 January, 2025
Zhu Min, a panel member at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, speaks during a discussion about China on Wednesday. Photo: World Economic Forum
China manufacturing

China’s stalled economic engines demand strong manufacturing: economist in Davos

‘Made in China’ must mean ‘cheap, good and hi-tech’, says Zhu Min, former IMF deputy managing director and former People’s Bank of China deputy governor.

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Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Paul Chan vows to bridge climate financing gap after Trump pull-out

Vietnam

‘I can play golf all day long’: Vietnam confident of its US ties under Trump

Banking & finance

Trump’s threats will only drive countries away from US dollar, economists warn at Davos

US president’s warnings against nations exploring alternative currencies will be counterproductive in the long run, economists argue at World Economic Forum.

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US President Donald Trump speaks to journalists in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Monday. Trump’s threats to punish countries that move away from the US dollar has sparked criticism. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Zelensky says security guarantee would need at least 200,000 peacekeepers

At Davos, Ukraine’s president urges Europe to bolster defence against Russia.

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AI: Policy

China’s vice-premier says chaotic competition on AI could bring ‘grey rhino’

Ding Xuexiang also tells Davos that Beijing isn’t pursuing a trade surplus and there are ‘no winners in a trade war’.

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US-China relations

‘We’ll be surprised’ by US-China improvements, Harvard scholar argues in Davos

Graham Allison bucks a trend among analysts warning of worsening ties between the world’s biggest economies, and he does not see Donald Trump as a China hawk.

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Graham Allison, a professor with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, expects ties between the US and China to improve this year. Photo: World Economic Forum
US-China relations

Ding warns Davos AI can be ‘Ali Baba’s cave’ or Pandora’s box – as it happened

Vice-premier addressed China’s economic vitality, global cooperation and concerns over artificial intelligence at World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Climate change

Davos climate activists paint Amazon base green, disrupt helicopters

Greenpeace, which briefly blocked heliport in the Swiss town, said it was calling for ‘a fair tax on the richest people’.

Hong Kong economy

Davos 2025: Paul Chan to tout Hong Kong’s ‘superconnector’ edge

Finance minister says he will brief political and business leaders from around the world about Hong Kong’s strategies in various areas.

Finance minister Paul Chan leaves for Switzerland on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Poverty

Opinion | Can world leaders at Davos truly succeed in ‘reimagining growth’?

Some ideas in Davos are naive, but others recognise that collective approaches and free flows of capital are steps to sustainable growth.

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People walk past the logo of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 14, 2024. Photo: Xinhua
US-China relations

Xi touts China as globalisation leader, draws contrast with US under Trump

Shared growth stressed on Apec sidelines in Peru as Chinese leader tells CEOs that Beijing’s economic and financial woes can be fixed.

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Climate change

Outside In | Nature needs saving but where will the West find the money?

However leaders feel about biodiversity and global warming, there is almost no money where their mouths are.

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Climate change

Opinion | Alliances like Nato out of touch with world in need of human security

In an era where climate change, food and energy security and poverty top the agenda, military-focused alliances are not fit for purpose.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (left) looks on as US President Joe Biden speaks during an event at the Nato summit in Washington on July 11. Alliances built with national security at their core are increasingly out of step with the demands of a world in need of improved human security. Photo: AP
China economy

Opinion | A pro-business third plenum is China’s best retort to US, EU gauntlet

Faced with difficult EV negotiations with Europe and the possibility of a Trump return, strong pro-business signals from Beijing now would help.

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China’s third plenum, a meeting of the Central Committee, the top governing body of the Communist Party, is expected to be held from July 15-18 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Photo: Bloomberg
China's economic recovery

Global Impact | Strong words from China on Western trade, tech restrictions at ‘Summer Davos’

In this week’s issue of the Global Impact newsletter, we look back at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting of the New Champions that took place last week in the Chinese city of Dalian.

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China trade

Japan has important lesson for globalising Chinese firms: what not to do

With more Chinese companies moving their operations overseas, a marketing specialist has advised them to take a lesson from their Japanese peers in how not to handle their global expansions.

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Technology

Opinion | The AI revolution: we’re either in it together or we’re in for it

We all need to adopt AI tools to achieve more with less but this change needs to be engineered with leadership, courage and passion.

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We do not know if AI is ultimately good or bad, only that the bandwidth of risk and opportunity is widening at frightening speed. Photo: Reuters
China's economic recovery

China’s economy ‘is full of hope’, but market reforms key to laying foundations

China needs better policies to support its ‘vibrant, competitive and creative market entities’, said a former senior official with its top economic planner.

China-Middle East relations

Jordanian minister banks on Mideast stability in courting Chinese investment

China’s ties with Middle East go beyond trade, say analysts on World Economic Forum panel who argue Beijing could bear greater responsibility.

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Vietnam

Xi urges China and Vietnam to build stronger ties, ‘shared destiny’

Beijing ‘willing to encourage’ more mainland enterprises to boost investment in neighbour as it calls for ‘fair, just’ business environment.

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Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (left) with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday. Photo: Handout
China’s third plenum

Beijing talks the talk with foreign, private firms ahead of China’s third plenum

High-level comments aim to shore up business and market confidence ahead of the economic-agenda-setting third plenum as foreign firms wait to see whether Beijing follows through.

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Premier Li Qiang told businesspeople at a meeting on Tuesday that “the success of foreign enterprises in China is closely related to China’s economic development”. Photo: Xinhua
China trade

‘No doubt’ US still China’s top export market, but trade tariffs ‘unsustainable’

China is no longer the top source of US imports, while recent tariff increases on a range of Chinese goods have added to trade tensions between Beijing and Washington.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Quit your price war and focus on safety, CATL boss warns China’s EV makers

Zeng is the latest business leader to criticise the cutthroat competition amid mounting worries that constant price reductions are undermining profitability, reputation and even safety in China’s EV industry.

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China trade

Chinese premier defends EV sector, stresses openness in speech at ‘Summer Davos’

In a keynote address to the ‘Summer Davos’ forum, Chinese Premier Li Qiang offered a strong critique of Western trade restrictions while also pitching the country as a welcoming place for overseas firms.

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang criticised Western trade practices while praising his country’s open market during a keynote address on Tuesday. Photo: Bloomberg
China's economic recovery

Chinese premier hits out at decoupling, voices GDP confidence: as it happened

Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a speech during the opening plenary session at the 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Dalian on Tuesday.

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Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivers his speech during the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum . Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Palestinian president says US only nation able to stop Israel’s Rafah invasion

Mahmoud Abbas said such an invasion on the Gazan city, which is sheltering more than a million residents, would be ‘the biggest catastrophe in the history of the Palestinian people’.

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Environment

Opinion | Hong Kong’s One Earth Summit should be more than superficial talk on green deals

To shake up how finance is leveraged and directed to tackle priority issues, governments need to take the lead and set new sustainability standards and policy parameters – not leave it to the whims of financiers.

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