Mohamed Kande, global chairman of PwC, told China Daily during the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that the competition in artificial intelligence, or AI, is not just a battle between China and the United States, but a global race encompassing the entire AI ecosystem.
Describing it as a global “AI marathon” and drawing on his experiences in China, he noted that the country’s investments across the AI ecosystem have been deliberated and sustained.

Reporter: Wang Mingjie
Video editor: He Xiating

The theme of the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, "A Spirit of Dialogue", captures just what today's fragmented and rapidly changing world needs. Countries, businesses, societies, ethnic groups, or any kind of group must genuinely link their needs and perspectives to one another. Through honest communication and negotiation, they can reduce the likelihood of conflict and build a shared understanding.

This idea aligns closely with China's long-standing approach to international affairs. On global issues, China consistently emphasizes dialogue and consultation to maintain peace and stability among all parties, a stance that is visible to all.

China's commitment to multilateralism extends well beyond its participation in Davos, Switzerland. The 2026 Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also referred to as Summer Davos, is scheduled to take place from June 23-25 in Dalian, Liaoning province, under a rotating arrangement with the Tianjin municipality. So, apart from sending a large delegation to Europe every year, China also hosts its own Summer Davos in two of its northern coastal cities, renowned for openness and economic engagement.

Davos and Summer Davos are just two of the platforms China uses to advance multilateral cooperation. At the regional level, as 2026 has been designated the APEC China Year, multiple Chinese cities will host approximately 300 related activities, culminating in the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen on Nov 18-19. Chinese authorities have made clear that China is committed to working with all parties to build an Asia-Pacific community, strengthen regional economic cooperation, unlock growth potential, and create a new era of shared development across the region.

From APEC in the Asia-Pacific to the global stage at Davos, and through initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative, China consistently seeks to advance global governance by linking regional cooperation with international frameworks. Multilateralism, after all, is not just a principle; it is a practical approach for connecting diverse players and arriving at coordinated solutions to common challenges.

We do not intend to engage in a simple comparison. Yet, it is worth noting that the United States of America— which assumed G20 presidency for 2026 in last December — has outlined three key themes for its presidency: unleashing economic prosperity by limiting regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering new technologies and innovations. Conspicuous by its absence is the language of cooperation. Coupled with the US' recent decision to withdraw from 66 international organizations, followed by plans to establish a so-called "Board of Peace", it appears that collaboration has not been a central focus of US national strategy.

This contrast highlights a deeper philosophical difference. While China emphasizes the shared interests of all partners, the US often prioritizes its own narrow interests. As a result, unilateral actions on the part of the US are not surprising. Yet the global challenges of 2026 — from economic uncertainty to climate risks and technological disruption — demand a spirit of dialogue rather than monologue, and cooperation rather than isolation.

In a world that is increasingly interconnected yet increasingly fragmented, platforms such as Davos, Summer Davos, APEC, and the Belt and Road Initiative show that dialogue and multilateralism can work in practice. China's approach demonstrates that sustainable solutions emerge from understanding, consultation and collective action, while the US' focus on unilateral gains serves as a reminder that global stability cannot rely on a single nation's interests.

If 2026 is to be a year of progress, dialogue, not unilateral action, will have to be the cornerstone for addressing the complex, interdependent challenges of our time. Multilateral platforms, effective communication and a willingness to find common ground are not just ideals, but the very mechanisms through which the world can manage its complexities and move toward shared prosperity.

China delivered a strong message of advocating free trade, multilateralism and cooperation on Tuesday at the ongoing World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, as Vice-Premier He Lifeng called for dialogue and joint problem-solving amid rising geopolitical tensions and economic rifts.

Speaking at the Davos Congress Hall, He urged countries to focus on expanding shared opportunities rather than competing over limited gains, saying that solving problems together is more effective rather than blaming each other.

He emphasized that although economic globalization has shortcomings, it should not be totally rejected, and warned that tariffs and trade wars have no winners.

"Everyone should be equal before the rules. A very small number of countries should not enjoy the privilege of pursuing their own selfish interests. The world must not return to the law of the jungle, where the strong prey on the weak," he said, calling on the international community to uphold multilateralism and resolve disputes through dialogue.

The vice-premier said that China is committed to fostering common prosperity with its trading partners through its own development and by contributing to global growth.

China has never deliberately pursued trade surplus, he said, adding that the country aims to not only be the "world's factory" but also the "world's market", expanding imports and opening wider to global products and services.

He noted that services now account for about two-thirds of glo-bal GDP, and that China has long run a deficit in services trade, reflecting growing demand for overseas services such as travel and education.

The vice-premier also emphasized that differences among countries with diverse social systems, development stages and cultures are normal, and should be addressed through mutual respect, equal-footed consultation and trust-building through dialogue, rather than confrontation or antagonism.

On China-United States relations, He said that although economic and trade ties have experienced fluctuations, dialogue has helped maintain overall stability. The experience, he said, shows that China and the US both benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation, and that equal consultation and working in the same direction can lead to more solutions than problems.

He highlighted China's steady economic performance in recent years, noting that over the past five years, the nation's economy has grown at an average annual rate of about 5.4 percent, expanding to around 140 trillion yuan ($20.1 trillion) and contributing roughly 30 percent to annual global economic growth.

The vice-premier attributed the nation's growth primarily to reform, opening-up and innovation, rather than so-called government subsidies. The Chinese economy is built on solid foundations, with strong resilience and significant long-term potential, supported by continued market opening and the development of new quality productive forces, he added.

Borge Brende, president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, praised the Chinese vice-premier's remark that the wisdom of Davos lies in dialogue.

In the 1980s, China accounted for 2 percent of global GDP and today, that figure is close to 20 percent, "so it is a very important path that China is following", Brende added.

David Haigh, founder of Brand Finance, a London-based brand valuation consultancy, said, "China is a counterbalance to the chaos that is being caused (by) America."

Haigh underscored that free trade, multilateralism, and respect for international organizations and the rule of law are essential to have a properly working world economy. It is "extremely good" for China to advocate those values, which "shows that China is leading when it comes to soft power and sensible governance", he said.

Dora Liu, CEO of Deloitte China, said that Vice-Premier He's speech highlighted the importance of dialogue and win-win cooperation at a time of rising protectionism, noting that China's overseas investment has generated more than $300 billion in tax revenue for host countries over the past five years.

DAVOS, Switzerland -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that the European Union (EU) "should not hesitate" to deploy its anti-coercion mechanism in response to the US tariff threats linked to Greenland.

Macron made the remarks at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, arguing that Europe must become "more realistic" in defending its interests as global competition intensifies and rules-based governance weakens.

Addressing rising trade tensions, Macron criticized the United States for an "endless accumulation of new tariffs," describing the approach as "fundamentally unacceptable."

"Even more so when they are used as leverage against territorial sovereignty," he said.

Macron urged renewed commitment to effective multilateralism, saying international law is being trampled and collective governance weakened, creating a world in which "the law of the strongest" increasingly prevails.

France holds the G7 presidency this year, Macron said, pledging to use it to promote frank dialogue and practical solutions, while calling on partners to avoid trade wars and protectionist escalation that "will only produce losers."

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb 1.

Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, he said on social media.

Greenland, the world's largest island, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. Since returning to office in 2025, Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to "obtain" Greenland.

During activities surrounding the World Economic Forum, Dora Liu, CEO of Deloitte China, told China Daily that the global AI race is not a sprint but a marathon. While China currently lags behind the United States in areas such as advanced chips, the core of AI lies in "AI plus" and its real-world applications. With abundant use cases spanning manufacturing, new medicine development, and the service sector, as well as strong infrastructure and a deep talent pool, China is well positioned to drive AI development from infrastructure to large-scale adoption and emerge as a key leading force globally.

Reporter: Wang Mingjie
Video editor: Xing Yi

As geopolitical tensions rise alongside economic fragmentation and rapid technological change, global leaders are gathering in Davos, Switzerland, through Friday for the World Economic Forum's 56th Annual Meeting, with dialogue and coordination taking center stage amid growing calls for practical cooperation.

Themed "A Spirit of Dialogue", the forum brings together nearly 3,000 participants from more than 130 countries and regions, including around 400 senior government officials — the highest level of public sector participation in its history. More than 60 heads of state and government are expected, along with central bank governors and ministers responsible for finance, trade, foreign affairs and economic development.

Political leaders expected to attend include United States President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng. Around 1,700 business leaders will also take part, including nearly 850 CEOs and chairpersons from the forum's members and partners.

Against what observers describe as one of the most complex international environments in decades, the forum is positioning itself as a platform for dialogue among countries and sectors whose interests increasingly diverge.

Juan Moscoso del Prado, a senior fellow at the Esade Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics in Spain, said Davos 2026 is "less about producing grand consensus and more about enabling coordination among groups of participants".

"In a context where tariffs, export controls and investment screening are increasingly used as instruments of statecraft, broad commitments to cooperation have limited impact unless they are linked to concrete mechanisms and deliverables," he said, highlighting the areas of technology governance and innovation.

Dialogue with the US is also expected to feature prominently, as governments and businesses seek clarity on Washington's economic and security policies after recent US military actions against targets in Venezuela and Trump's renewed push for Greenland.

"Uncertainty about US reliability now affects not only trans-Atlantic partners but also countries in the Global South that are reassessing their long-term strategic and economic expectations," Moscoso del Prado said, noting that Davos offers an opportunity for direct engagement to help reduce uncertainty.

For China, the meeting comes as Beijing continues to emphasize stability, development and openness amid global turbulence. Tom Harper, a China specialist at the University of East London, said recent developments have given China "a key role as a stabilizing force", a position that it is likely to underscore in Davos.

"With greater recognition of the role that the Global South will play in future growth, China is well placed to share its experience in development and industrial upgrading," Harper said. China's economic restructuring, which involved short-term adjustments earlier on, is yielding higher-quality growth, he said.

"These changes are making China a more attractive partner even for developed economies," he said, highlighting sustained high-level exchanges, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent visit to Beijing.

China's push toward greener energy and high-end manufacturing is also closely linked to its pursuit of greater resilience, he added. "The success of Chinese electric vehicle companies and advances in artificial intelligence are symbolic of how China has moved up the global technology ladder."

More active role

Antonio Fatas, a professor of economics at the INSEAD business school in France, said the weakening of multilateral institutions and reduced US engagement in global governance have created space for other major economies to play a more active role.

"Given the retreat of the US from world institutions, this is the time for China to play that role," Fatas said, adding that while strategic competition with Washington will continue, Beijing can move to deepen cooperation with other regions, particularly Europe.

Observers also stress the importance of strengthening multilateral mechanisms. Louis Brennan, fellow emeritus at Trinity Business School in Ireland, said institutions such as the United Nations and the G20 have been weakened in recent years and require renewed support.

China could help restore their central role in global cooperation and dialogue, offering an alternative to zero-sum thinking through its emphasis on win-win outcomes, Brennan said.

Strong participation from the Global South at Davos could help ensure development priorities receive greater attention, he said.

wangmingjie@mail.chinadailyuk.com

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting opened in Davos, Switzerland, on Monday under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue", a slogan that aptly captures both the urgency and the tension of the moment.

This year, more clearly than ever, two viewpoints are on display in Davos: one championing unilateralism, protectionism and might makes right, and the other advocating multilateralism, openness and cooperation.

On the one side, the meeting provides a stage for the participating US representatives to try to justify the US administration's coercive use of tariffs and transactional approach to geopolitics, with countries likely to be browbeaten to align with US economic priorities. On the other side are those who continue to emphasize cooperation, stable global supply chains, open markets and multilateral governance. The coexistence of these two conflicting perspectives explains why "dialogue" is the theme of this year's meeting.

With the US administration intent on demonstrating to economies that it is its way or the highway, its approach reflects Washington's belief that US power, rather than rules or consensus, can define outcomes in both the global economy and international relations.

What makes the European hosts particularly uneasy is not the thinking itself, which has appeared before in history, but the recklessness and desperation with which it is now being manifested. That has given European countries their rare experience of being on the receiving end of the US' bullying practices that when applied to other countries have been executed with the support of some of them or with their connivance.

For Europe, which has benefited profoundly from rules-based trade and multilateral global governance, the fear is not simply disagreement with Washington, but the erosion of the very foundations of postwar cooperation. The US administration's threatening of eight European countries with tariffs over their opposition to its Greenland-grab attempt has shaken Europe's confidence that their transatlantic ally has their well-being in mind.

This year's Davos meeting coincides with the first anniversary of the US leader's second presidency. A review of the past year offers sobering lessons. According to assessments by the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and UN agencies, the tariff policies and unilateral trade moves of his second stint in the White House have led to global trade suffering its sharpest decline since 2020 last year, with supply chains thrown into chaos and uncertainty weighing heavily on investment decisions worldwide. These impacts have not spared the US itself, where higher costs, inflationary pressures and weakened export competitiveness have undercut the promised benefits of protectionism.

If the US is allowed to continue down this path unchecked, the damage to the world economy, green development and global governance will only increase. In this sense, the Davos meeting offers an opportunity for US decision-makers to listen: to hear the concerns of other economies, the warnings of economists, and the voices of global business leaders who understand that confrontation is a dead end.

China's message at Davos, delivered by Vice-Premier He Lifeng, offers a strikingly different vision to that espoused by the US.

In a world fraught with uncertainties and struggling to find new drivers of growth, China is willing to leverage the advantage from its "superlarge market" and "more vigorously" expand imports, Vice-Premier He said in Davos on Tuesday. As he stressed, China is the trading partner of other countries rather than an adversary, and China's development is an opportunity rather than a threat to global economic development.

China calls for more dialogue and exchanges, greater consensus for cooperation, and the practice of true multilateralism. It advocates jointly building an open world economy, promoting development that is more inclusive, resilient and beneficial for all, and injecting stability and positive energy into global growth.

China's steadfast support for openness, cooperation and green development has already made tangible contributions to global trade, sustainable development and global governance, a reality well recognized by many Davos participants as well as many world bodies, including the United Nations.

The dialogue unfolding in Davos this week should serve to show the world the potential of cooperation, shared growth and collective problem-solving. At this critical juncture in global transformation, countries have a clear choice to make between unilateralism and multilateralism.

The gathering in Davos reminds all parties that the future is still uncertain. The international community should join hands and commit to cooperation to realize a brighter shared future.

At the World Economic Forum's annual meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland, the forum's Managing Director and Chair for Greater China Gim Huay Neo said in an interview with China Daily that China's 5 percent growth and 15th Five-Year Plan — focusing on industry upgrades, technology-enabled manufacturing, and boosting consumption — create new opportunities for global businesses and cooperation.

Reporter: Wang Mingjie
Video editor: Chen Yuehua

As geopolitical tensions rise alongside economic fragmentation and rapid technological change, global leaders are gathering in Davos, Switzerland, through Friday for the World Economic Forum's 56th Annual Meeting, with dialogue and coordination taking center stage amid growing calls for practical cooperation.

Themed "A Spirit of Dialogue", the forum brings together nearly 3,000 participants from more than 130 countries and regions, including around 400 senior government officials — the highest level of public sector participation in its history. More than 60 heads of state and government are expected, along with central bank governors and ministers responsible for finance, trade, foreign affairs and economic development.

Political leaders expected to attend include United States President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng. Around 1,700 business leaders will also take part, including nearly 850 CEOs and chairpersons from the forum's members and partners.

Against what observers describe as one of the most complex international environments in decades, the forum is positioning itself as a platform for dialogue among countries and sectors whose interests increasingly diverge.

Juan Moscoso del Prado, a senior fellow at the Esade Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics in Spain, said Davos 2026 is "less about producing grand consensus and more about enabling coordination among groups of participants".

"In a context where tariffs, export controls and investment screening are increasingly used as instruments of statecraft, broad commitments to cooperation have limited impact unless they are linked to concrete mechanisms and deliverables," he said, highlighting the areas of technology governance and innovation.

Dialogue with the US is also expected to feature prominently, as governments and businesses seek clarity on Washington's economic and security policies after recent US military actions against targets in Venezuela and Trump's renewed push for Greenland.

"Uncertainty about US reliability now affects not only trans-Atlantic partners but also countries in the Global South that are reassessing their long-term strategic and economic expectations," Moscoso del Prado said, noting that Davos offers an opportunity for direct engagement to help reduce uncertainty.

For China, the meeting comes as Beijing continues to emphasize stability, development and openness amid global turbulence. Tom Harper, a China specialist at the University of East London, said recent developments have given China "a key role as a stabilizing force", a position that it is likely to underscore in Davos.

"With greater recognition of the role that the Global South will play in future growth, China is well placed to share its experience in development and industrial upgrading," Harper said. China's economic restructuring, which involved short-term adjustments earlier on, is yielding higher-quality growth, he said.

"These changes are making China a more attractive partner even for developed economies," he said, highlighting sustained high-level exchanges, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's recent visit to Beijing.

China's push toward greener energy and high-end manufacturing is also closely linked to its pursuit of greater resilience, he added."The success of Chinese electric vehicle companies and advances in artificial intelligence are symbolic of how China has moved up the global technology ladder."

More active role

Antonio Fatas, a professor of economics at the INSEAD business school in France, said the weakening of multilateral institutions and reduced US engagement in global governance have created space for other major economies to play a more active role.

"Given the retreat of the US from world institutions, this is the time for China to play that role," Fatas said, adding that while strategic competition with Washington will continue, Beijing can move to deepen cooperation with other regions, particularly Europe.

Observers also stress the importance of strengthening multilateral mechanisms. Louis Brennan, fellow emeritus at Trinity Business School in Ireland, said institutions such as the United Nations and the G20 have been weakened in recent years and require renewed support.

China could help restore their central role in global cooperation and dialogue, offering an alternative to zero-sum thinking through its emphasis on win-win outcomes, Brennan said.

Strong participation from the Global South at Davos could help ensure development priorities receive greater attention, he said.

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Amid growing geopolitical uncertainty, 3,000 representatives of governments, businesses, civil society and academia from more than 130 countries and regions have convened in Davos, Switzerland, for the five-day annual meeting of the World Economic Forum starting on Monday, to engage in forward-looking discussions to address global issues and find a stabilizer for the world economy.

Reporter: Wang Mingjie
Video editor: Brian Chang

Amid growing geopolitical uncertainty, leaders of governments, businesses, civil society and academia will convene in Davos, Switzerland, for the five-day annual meeting of the World Economic Forum starting on Monday, to engage in forward-looking discussions to address global issues and find a stabilizer for the world economy.

The Davos forum comes at a time when the United States has threatened to impose additional 10 percent tariffs on eight European ally countries that have opposed its pronounced aim to annex Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark, by means that do not exclude the use of military force.

The US and the European Union share the largest bilateral trade and investment relationship. Together, they represent almost 30 percent of global trade in goods and services and over 40 percent of global GDP.

Experts said the proposed tariffs, if implemented, would exert tremendous pressure on European nations, slowing down the global economic recovery, and further drive protectionism and unilateralism.

According to US President Donald Trump, the latest round of tariffs will take effect on Feb 1 on goods imported from Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

If no deal is reached on the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland, the tariff rate would rise to 25 percent on June 1, Trump said.

European nations, some of which already voiced their opposition to last year's trade deal with the US, calling it "unbalanced" and detrimental to their economies, have once again made their dissatisfaction known.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the tariff move as "completely wrong", while French President Emmanuel Macron called it "unacceptable".

On Sunday, the EU convened an emergency meeting for coordination of responses.

On Wednesday, Trump is scheduled to address the Davos forum. This year's forum is themed "A Spirit of Dialogue" to emphasize cooperation amid intensifying global fragmentation.

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng will attend the forum together with around 65 state and government leaders and around 850 top business executives. He is scheduled to deliver a special speech on Tuesday.

According to the Foreign Ministry, during the forum, China will seek to advance its ideals of practicing true multilateralism, jointly building an open world economy, striving for global development that is more inclusive, resilient and beneficial for all, and injecting more stability and positive energy into the world economy.

China's role at this year's forum is a hot topic globally. Heather Stewart and Dan Sabbagh, editors of The Guardian newspaper, wrote in an article published on Sunday,"Though American power is significant, China and other developing countries continue to grow as a share of the global economy, meaning the long-term balance is slowly tipping away from the US."

Sheikh Tanjeb Islam, who heads the World Economic Forum's event editorial team, said in an interview with financial media outlet Yicai that China continues to attract growing attention from participants with regard to its economic performance, innovation ecosystem and structural transformation.

BRUSSELS -- The European Union is considering hitting Washington with 93 billion euros ($107.68 billion) worth of tariffs or restricting American companies from the bloc's market, in response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland, according to Financial Times.

Citing officials involved in the preparations, the Financial Times said the retaliatory measures are being drafted to give European leaders leverage ahead of pivotal meetings with Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos the following week.

The report said the EU had drawn up the tariff list since last year but kept it suspended until Feb 6 to avert a trade war. However, amid the escalation of the transatlantic rift over Greenland, representatives of EU members discussed reactivating it on Sunday, alongside talks about using the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which could curb US firms' access to the bloc's market.

The report came after the eight countries directly targeted by the US proposed tariffs — Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — issued a joint statement on Sunday declaring "full solidarity" with Denmark and Greenland.

In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said the United States would levy a 10-percent tariff from Feb 1 on goods from the mentioned eight countries. He warned the rate would rise to 25 percent on June 1 and remain in place until a deal is reached for the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland.

Trump, due to attend the World Economic Forum on Wednesday and Thursday, is expected to hold private talks with European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and to join a meeting of Western countries backing Ukraine.

KIEV -- Ukrainian and US teams will hold another round of negotiations on Jan. 17 in Miami, Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olga Stefanishyna announced on Friday.

The delegations are expected to refine agreements on security guarantees and Ukraine's economic prosperity, which could be signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos next week, according to Stefanishyna's post on X.

The Ukrainian delegation includes head of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, Presidential Office chief Kyrylo Budanov, and Chairman of the Servant of the People parliamentary faction David Arakhamia.

The latest round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations took place last month.

Vice-Premier He Lifeng will travel to Davos, Switzerland, from Jan 19 to 22 to attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 and pay a visit to Switzerland, Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

He will deliver a speech at the opening plenary session of the forum's annual meeting, Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday at a daily news briefing.

According to Guo, the WEF annual meeting is an important platform for discussing global economic trends and promoting cooperation and development. At present, the world is confronted with mounting uncertainties and instability, while global economic growth remains weak.

China looks forward to working with all participants to strengthen dialogue and exchanges, build consensus on cooperation, practice genuine multilateralism, jointly foster an open world economy, and promote more inclusive, equitable and resilient global development, Guo said.

China stands ready to inject greater stability and positive momentum into the world economy, he added.

During his visit, He will meet with President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research, Guy Parmelin, Guo said.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the innovative strategic partnership between China and Switzerland and also the first year of China's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30).

Guo said the visit is expected to help both sides further expand cooperation and advance the partnership with more mutually beneficial outcomes.

BEIJING -- Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng will attend the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos and visit Switzerland from Jan 19 to 22, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson announced on Friday.

He, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is invited by the World Economic Forum and the government of the Swiss Confederation, the spokesperson said.

Australia's Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd will end his tenure a year earlier than scheduled, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday.

Rudd, a former Australian prime minister and an expert on China, will assume the role as head of the US think tank Asia Society, where he is expected to contribute to fostering better relations between the West and China.

Albanese praised Rudd's contribution during his time in Washington and said the decision to leave the job early was made by Rudd himself.

"It is with deep appreciation for his tireless contribution to our national interests over the last three years in Washington that we today announce the Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC will conclude his posting as Australia's Ambassador to the United States at the end of March 2026," Albanese said in a statement on Tuesday.

James Laurenceson, director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney, said the implications of Rudd's departure are limited.

"Rudd is widely regarded as an authoritative voice on China. It is unlikely that the next Australian ambassador (to the US) will bring similar credentials," he said.

"But these days any Australian ambassador in Washington ... has their hands full just trying to manage an increasingly disjointed Australia-US relationship."

Albanese said Rudd will take the role of global president of Asia Society, and will also head the think tank's Center for China Analysis.

This will mark Rudd's second stint leading the organization, which has focused on Asia-Pacific affairs since its founding in 1956.

Rudd served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, and again in 2013. He previously served as an Australian diplomat in Beijing in 1984.

Albanese hailed Rudd as "one of the world's most eminent and sought-after experts on China and US-China relations".

Rudd said on Tuesday that his future work would focus on US-China ties.

"I will be remaining in America working between New York and Washington on the future of US-China relations, which I have always believed to be the core question for the future stability of our region and the world," he said.

"As a 'think and do' tank, Asia Society's formidable Center for China Analysis will be an important platform to that end."

Looking ahead, Laurenceson said Australia's approach to China and its management of the China-US-Australia relationship would remain broadly consistent.

"On China, the Albanese government's stance won't change — dialogue, diplomacy, trade and people-to-people exchanges will be prioritized, and the new Australian ambassador will urge the US to follow suit," he said.

"But equally, they will be charged with gaining US support for balancing China in the strategic realm," he said. "To that end, the new Australian ambassador will be working hard to facilitate progress on AUKUS and vulnerable supply chains, just as Kevin Rudd has been doing."

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership formed in 2021 by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Past comments

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said in a report that Rudd had in the past severely criticized Trump in a series of social media posts, including calling him "the most destructive president in history", "a traitor to the West" and a man who "drags America and democracy through the mud".

After Trump won the US presidential election in November 2024,Rudd deleted the comments.

This had been done "to eliminate the possibility of such comments being misconstrued as reflecting his positions as ambassador and, by extension, the views of the Australian government", a statement on his personal website said.

The Australian government said on Tuesday that an announcement regarding the country's new ambassador to the US will take place in due course.

LONDON -- Geoeconomic confrontation and societal risks are the leading short-term global threats in 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned in its Global Risks Report 2026 released on Wednesday ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

The report ranks geoeconomic confrontation as the top risk for 2026, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarization, and misinformation and disinformation. It also identifies geoeconomic confrontation as the most severe risk over the next two years.

"We have entered a new age of competition, and that competition is shaping every other global risk," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the WEF, at a press conference.

Economic risks showed the largest increase in the two-year outlook, with concerns over economic downturns, inflation, rising debt and potential asset bubbles intensifying amid geoeconomic tensions, the report said.

Environmental risks remain the most severe overall, led by extreme weather, biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth systems. The report noted that three-quarters of respondents expect a turbulent environmental outlook.

Risks related to adverse outcomes of artificial intelligence rose sharply, climbing from 30th in the two-year horizon to fifth in the 10-year outlook, reflecting concerns over impacts on labor markets, society and security.

The 21st edition of the report draws on views from more than 1,300 experts, policymakers and industry leaders. The WEF's annual meeting will be held in Davos from Jan. 19 to 23.

GENEVA - The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday elected former Iraqi President Barham Salih as the new UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Salih, born in 1960, served as president of Iraq from 2018 to 2022. He previously held posts including deputy prime minister of Iraq and prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government.

He will take office on Jan. 1, 2026, to succeed Filippo Grandi as head of the Geneva-headquartered UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), with a five-year term. Grandi assumed office as UN High Commissioner for Refugees in January 2016. His 10-year term will end on Dec. 31, 2025.

In a statement issued following his election, Salih said that at a time of record displacement and severe pressure on humanitarian resources, delivering on UNHCR's mandate requires a renewed focus on impact, accountability, and efficiency.

He said that UNHCR will build on the important reforms undertaken in recent years to strengthen operational effectiveness and value for money.

As the World Internet Conference takes place in Wuzhen, China is once again at the center of the global conversation about the future of connectivity. In just over a decade, this gathering — often described as the "Davos of the digital world" — has evolved from a national showcase into a global platform for technology governance, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Amid Wuzhen's ancient bridges and ultra-modern networks, the outlines of China's next digital era come into view: an era shaped by a vision grounded in cooperation rather than competition, and guided by the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), which marks the beginning of a decisive phase in the country's economic and technological evolution.

China is not simply upgrading its economy; it is reprogramming it. It is shifting from the paradigm of mass production to one centered on creation, knowledge and the coordination of resources into a coherent design of modernization. The new five-year plan is not just an administrative road map but an effort to weave technology, sustainability and cooperation into the fabric of a new modernity that reconciles national ambition with global interdependence.

In this orchestration, the country acts as conductor rather than controller, aligning science, capital and talent toward a common goal. In an age when technology defines the hierarchy of power, China has chosen to embed innovation within a sense of shared responsibility, showing that progress and cooperation are not opposites, and that leadership must also inspire.

In a world too often fragmented by zero-sum logic, Beijing proposes a narrative of convergence. It is building platforms instead of walls, designing ecosystems instead of empires and seeking prosperity founded on balance rather than supremacy. It is rewriting the very grammar of globalization.

The new strategy rests on three pillars. The first is industrial resilience, understood as the ability to innovate within global networks while reducing systemic vulnerabilities and turning supply chains into learning streams in which machines, data and people evolve together. China is leading in advanced robotics, new materials and smart manufacturing, with millions of active invention patents and a growing share of global high-tech exports.

The second pillar is the construction of next-generation digital infrastructure, the invisible nervous system of the future economy. China is already testing 6G networks that will link terrestrial and satellite systems and pave the way for full commercial deployment around 2030. These distributed cloud-edge architectures aim to interconnect mobility, healthcare, and energy into a single dynamic organism in which every object becomes a node of intelligence.

The third pillar is the pursuit of frontier science — from quantum communication to synthetic biology and new energy materials. China is consolidating its global leadership and marking the transition from the "factory of the world "to the laboratory of the future, where knowledge itself becomes the new form of capital.

No place embodies this vision more vividly than Shenzhen, the living code of China's digital civilization and its most advanced window on the future. Shenzhen has become the operating system of innovation where intelligent factories synchronize production, logistics and energy in real time, while algorithms design circuits, robots design other robots and designers collaborate with code.

The convergence between digital innovation and ecological responsibility is perhaps the most distinctive feature of the new plan. It outlines an economy in which clean energy, hydrogen, electric mobility and circular production form an integrated, data-driven system where environmental sustainability is no longer a constraint but the very logic of growth. The philosophy underpinning this vision — the "dual circulation" — promotes domestic innovation while remaining open to the world and transforms interdependence from a source of fragility into a foundation of strength.

Delivering this vision requires more than capital and scale. China's enduring strength lies in its capacity for mobilization, the ability to translate long-term vision into coordinated execution, aligning public policy, private enterprise, and social purpose around shared technological missions. This coherence between intention and implementation is one of China's most decisive strategic advantages in the global arena.

For Europe, China's transformation represents not a threat but an invitation — a call to redefine partnership in the age of intelligence. Competition will intensify, but so will the space for constructive complementarity. Europe excels in regulation, precision and sustainability; China in speed, scale, and transformation. Between these two models lies the most promising frontier of our time: co-innovation, where difference becomes a resource and collaboration a multiplier of progress.

The green transition is the most fertile field for this cooperation. European companies contribute excellence in environmental engineering, hydrogen electrolysis and sustainable urban planning, while China brings manufacturing capacity, executional speed and continental-scale deployment. Joint projects such as the EU-China green industrial parks in Jiangsu and Guangdong or the Sino-European hydrogen corridors demonstrate that competitiveness and collaboration can coexist, turning diplomatic language into industrial reality and accelerating global decarbonization.

A second field of synergy is intelligent manufacturing, where Europe's heritage in automation and design meets China's agile engineering culture. Collaborative robotics, AI-based logistics, and circular industrial parks can become the new Silk Roads of the digital era. Even in the sensitive areas of data governance and AI ethics, dialogue remains essential: Europe's human-centric model and China's applied pragmatism are not opposites but complementary approaches to a fairer and safer digital civilization.

However, the most powerful engine of this transformation is not silicon; it is the human mind. Across China's innovation ecosystem — from Shenzhen to Shanghai, from Chengdu to Hangzhou — universities, startups and enterprises are building open laboratories in which talent defines competitiveness; knowledge flows freely as capital once did, and networks of minds replace the empires of trade. China-Europe joint research centers show how the next phase of globalization will not be written in treaties or tariffs but in shared code and scientific collaboration.

Balance and trust are essential to realize this potential. Europe must protect its strategic autonomy and safeguard critical technologies, yet closure would be more harmful. In a century governed by data and ideas, isolation doesn't lead to protection but paralysis. The alternative is mutual interdependence and recognizing that innovation flourishes when openness and diversity meet.

Ultimately, China's new five-year plan will be an attempt to unite technology and sustainability, innovation and cooperation, ambition and responsibility. It marks the country's transformation from a manufacturing China to a creative China, and perhaps from a competitive world to a civilization of collaboration, where technology connects rather than divides, leadership enables rather than dominates, and the most intelligent form of competition is the one that allows both sides to advance together.

The author is the president of ChinaEU, a Brussels-based association promoting China-Europe business cooperation in the digital area.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

If you have a specific expertise, or would like to share your thought about our stories, then send us your writings at opinion@chinadaily.com.cn, and comment@chinadaily.com.cn.

China's accelerated efforts to boost the application of fast-evolving artificial intelligence in a wide range of sectors will help the country gain a competitive edge in tech frontiers and create immense business opportunities for investors amid external uncertainties, said experts and entrepreneurs.

China, they said, is at the global forefront in the development and application of AI technology, which has become a vital force bolstering its economic development and industrial upgrades, as the country recognizes AI as an essential tool in fostering new quality productive forces and building up new growth drivers.

The country's super-large market, robust engineering talent pool and thriving innovation ecosystem will underpin its capacity to drive technologies from research labs into the industrial arena, they added.

Zhu Min, former deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said China will make great strides in the use of AI technology in the next 18 months to two years, emphasizing that the country's large-scale manufacturing, vast consumer market of 1.4 billion people and abundant industrial application scenarios present unique advantages for the development of AI.

Zhu made the remarks during the 16th Annual Meeting of the New Champions, also known as the Summer Davos, in Tianjin last month. He said AI Plus will serve as an important driving force for China's economic growth.

China has surpassed the United States in the number of academic papers issued on AI, taking the top spot worldwide, Zhu said, adding that such papers increasingly focus on the specific industrial applications of AI.

Noting that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek had opened a broad space for AI deployment, he said China's services sector, technology and AI have huge growth potential, with future employment to take place in these emerging fields. It is highly significant in strengthening retraining in the job market and letting people know how best to use AI, he added.

Goldman Sachs analysts said breakthroughs in generative AI have the potential to bring about sweeping changes to the global economy. These breakthroughs could drive a 7 percent, or about $7 trillion, increase in global GDP and lift productivity growth by 1.5 percentage points over a 10-year period, they said.

Under the AI Plus initiative, China will work to effectively combine digital technologies with its manufacturing and market strengths, according to this year's Government Work Report.

China will support the extensive application of large-scale AI models, and vigorously develop new-generation intelligent terminals and smart manufacturing equipment, the report said.

Li Haitao, dean of Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing, said AI is profoundly reshaping the business landscape and is bound to transform various industries. Currently, China and the US have the greatest potential to lead in the next round of AI revolution, he noted.

According to Li, China boasts a large number of well-educated engineering talent and AI professionals, improved digital infrastructure such as 5G and computing networks, massive amounts of data, and ever-increasing innovation capabilities, which provide a solid foundation for the training and adoption of AI models.

The emergence of Chinese AI companies such as DeepSeek is due to the country's long-term and accumulated achievements in multiple leading fields, such as education, internet, 5G communication, digital payment, technological infrastructure and renewable energy, Li added.

China's AI sector will make big strides in the next 10 to 15 years, with its market size reaching 1.73 trillion yuan ($241 billion) by 2035, accounting for 30.6 percent of the global total, said market research company CCID Consulting.

"The recent wave of AI innovation, led by open-sourced large language models, is so encouraging that companies are quickly mobilizing themselves to harness such technologies," said Samantha Zhu, chairperson of Accenture Greater China.

She underscored that China is emerging as "an innovation-driven economy", with breakthroughs in areas like AI, robotics, renewable energy and electric vehicles, showcasing the country's growing capability in critical technologies that underpin long-term competitiveness.

The consultancy estimates that adopting a holistic approach to productivity, with generative AI acting as a multiplier, could boost productivity growth from 1.9 percent to 15.9 percent. It said China has one of the most vibrant AI ecosystems in the world, driven by a mix of enterprise adoption, tech startups and public-private partnerships.

To fully capitalize on the opportunities, multinational corporations should empower local teams to codevelop AI solutions with local partners, integrate AI into core operations and leverage China as a strategic launchpad for scalable innovation, it added.

Zhu emphasized that with more Chinese companies surveyed expecting their generative AI solutions to be adopted at scale within their organizations this year, there is strong momentum for AI-driven transformation as businesses quickly integrate it into decision-making, operations and customer engagement.

"Looking at the vibrant AI ecosystem, we can say that China is not just an AI market — it's a proving ground for AI adoption by enterprises at scale."

Zhu's views were echoed by Karel Eloot, senior partner of McKinsey & Company.

China, Eloot said, has good technological infrastructure in terms of digitalization and AI, and has developed a world-class business-to-consumer ecosystem, laying a strong foundation for further innovation.

"Chinese companies have been very open to experiment with new things so that they can learn very fast," Eloot said, adding that Chinese firms are at the forefront of digital analytics and technology transformation. He said generative AI is very important for the future development of "lighthouse factories", which represent the highest level of global intelligent manufacturing.

"The application of AI in the high-tech manufacturing sector will bring about greater value than its use in terminal products, as this cutting-edge digital technology will significantly improve the production efficiency and competitiveness of China's manufacturing enterprises," said Li Dongsheng, founder and chairman of Chinese consumer electronics maker TCL Technology Group Corp.

Li said AI technology is increasingly embedded into terminal devices, intelligent production lines and product research and development, and will bolster the development of China's high-tech manufacturing sector.

He emphasized that China's recent breakthroughs in large language models, along with the meteoric rise of domestic AI startup DeepSeek, have enabled it to rapidly catch up with the US in the AI domain, while surpassing most other developed economies in terms of AI application.

Zhou Yunjie, chairman and CEO of Chinese home appliances giant Haier Group, said AI is expected to be the biggest technological revolution in the next 50 years. "At present, the deployment of AI in enterprises mainly concentrates on manufacturing, research and development, sales, procurement and services.

"Every industry will integrate with AI, and any enterprise that does not embrace AI will eventually be weeded out," Zhou said.

Haier has invested heavily in developing LLMs and is promoting the adoption of AI across various fields, such as household appliances and industrial internet, he added.

As AI is transforming the world and data centers are leading the way, US-based smart building solutions provider Johnson Controls is promoting timely, efficient and sustainable data center deployments across countries.

"China's focus on digitalization and decarbonization aligns seamlessly with Johnson Controls' core expertise. We are well positioned to support China's advancement in driving new quality productive forces," said Anu Rathninde, president of Johnson Controls Asia-Pacific.

He said China's economy is propelled by new energy, digital transformation and some key industries like smart manufacturing and modern services, which create a large number of opportunities for sustainable innovation. "We look forward to growing our business even further."

Cui Jingyi, vice-president and general manager of industrial software developer Aveva China, said China is becoming the market with the most extensive application of AI technologies globally, bringing new opportunities for many companies including Aveva.

Cui said China demonstrates exceptional vitality in innovation, with rich industrial application scenarios, a complete supply chain ecosystem, and a highly open and supportive technology environment.

"That's why Aveva is continuously increasing our investment in the Chinese market — especially in R&D — as we deepen our roots in this dynamic landscape and cocreate a smarter, more sustainable industrial future together," she said.

Aveva will continue to increase investments in China, leverage local strengths and drive industrial transformation through technological innovation, Cui added.