Pooling wisdom, collective efforts best way to sustain global recovery: China Daily editorial

How to enhance cooperation and jointly seize the new opportunities for development presented by the digital revolution are the keys to a brighter future.

At a time when inclusive, green and sustainable development becomes an imperative need for the whole of humanity, the world is beset with risks and uncertainties and a vicious cycle of weak growth, conflict and division.

Ineffectual global coordination has resulted in growing development, governance and trust deficits, and both emerging technologies and economic globalization have shown themselves to be double-edged swords.

These deficits and the economic and development challenges have hindered concerted efforts to address not only common global challenges, such as global warming and climate change, but also conflicts and geopolitical tensions in various parts of the world.

It is against this backdrop that the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos convenes this week for deliberations under the theme "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age".

A platform for global leaders to discuss ways to address key global and regional challenges, the agenda includes responding to geopolitical shocks, stimulating growth to improve living standards, and stewarding a just and inclusive energy transition.

Viewed as a world economic bellwether event, President Xi Jinping has attended the forum three times in the past, delivering strong messages in support of economic globalization, safeguarding and practicing multilateralism, and jointly creating a better world.

This year, Chinese Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang will attend the meeting before his visits to Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Ding, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, is expected to share China's experience, vision and proposals at the meeting with a view to strengthening exchanges and communication with other parties.

Over the past decade, China has been an important source of impetus for the steady growth of the world economy?and the Chinese economy grew by 5 percent last year, despite the downward pressure, demonstrating that with its strong resilience it can continue to provide strong dynamism to the world.

But there is a pressing need to strengthen the shared will and resolve to steer the world economy toward a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable future. A better world can only be built by all working together. Common challenges will not be overcome in a divided world.

At Davos, Ding will engage in exchanges and communication with other parties with the aim of enhancing understanding and trust and strengthening the consensus for more effective global economic governance. Boosting world economic growth requires cooperation and the upholding of true multilateralism and an equal and orderly multipolar world and mutually beneficial and inclusive economic globalization.

The misguided approach of antagonism and confrontation pursued by some in their efforts to freeze the divisions they create into a new Cold War and their waging of trade wars and tech wars have hurt all countries' interests and undermined everyone's well-being.

Estrangement, confrontation, protectionism and conflict are choices that have only exacerbated the turmoil and turbulence that are leaving no country unscathed. It is time to set aside these failed zero-sum individual buoyancy aids in favor of the collective fostering of communication, cooperation, openness and peace that will keep all afloat.