Business and opinion leaders hail China's Davos vision

International and Chinese commentators have welcomed China's aim to further open its economy to foreign partners and work together with the international community to take on issues such as poverty and pollution, as articulated by Liu He in Davos on Wednesday.

Liu, an economic advisor and a member of the Political Bureau of Communist Party of China Central Committee, told the annual gathering of the World Economic Forum of President Xi Jinping's vision of an community with a shared future for mankind, pursuit of free trade and globalization and China's announcement of new reforms in 2018.

David Murathe, the vice-chairman of Jubilee Party, Kenya's ruling political party welcomed Liu's comments.

"President Xi Jinping's advocacy for the shared future of humankind reflects the strong opinion and expectations of Kenya and the continent at large," he said

"Xi's message portrays the inevitable future of the world as it strives to meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations."

Murathe said the world should be less inward-looking in an era where technology has flattened borders and turned the world into a global village.

"Moreover, shared future of humankind is the only avenue of fighting poverty and addressing challenges such as terrorism that stem from the perception of exclusion," said Murathe.

Luigi Gambardella, president of ChinaEU, a Brussels-based organization promoting digital cooperation, said the world has become more integrated by technology than today and rising challenges are looming.

"The challenges call for a visionary approach from governments rather than old-school solutions. And President Xi's call for the shared future of the humankind reflects the urgency of the world," said Gambardella.

"Top on the agenda for governments is to deliberate on how to bring benefit to people by proper use of technology."

Gambardella also said the age of technology calls for China to open up of its market potentials for trade, R&D, etc. "Undoubtedly this will bring benefits not only to the Chinese but also to the whole world," said Gambardella.

Chi Fulin, president of China Institute for Reform and Development, said Liu He's speech well reflected President Xi Jinping's thoughts on deepening globalization and building a community with a shared future for mankind.

"As others, I am also looking forward to seeing what reform package China will be delivering this year by marking the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up," said Chi.

Chi expected that China will allow greater foreign access to its service industry, especially in the financial sector.

"All the reform and opening measures will be designed to bring China even closer to the rest of the world, I believe," said Chi.

Che Wei, vice-president of Danfoss China, a Danish heating and cooling company, agreed. "Indeed, the world is getting increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Climate and environment is no longer country-specific but fast becoming a global priority," he said.

Liu Qiangdong, CEO of JD.com Inc, one of China's leading e-commerce platforms, said this year's theme of the World Economic Forum "Creating a Shared Future in a Fractured World" is a continuation of President Xi's speech to Davos last year.

"President Xi raised the concept of creating a shared future of humankind with the uncertainties of the world are raising," said Liu.

But Liu said the world has been experiencing fast changes due to technological breakthroughs and economic transformation. "The current international rules and governance regime cannot reflect the changing reality of the world and reform worldwide is urgent," said Liu.

"At this critical juncture, building a shared future through concerted and joint efforts globally is much more important than before."

Contact the writers at fujing@chinadaily.com.cn