Openness and cooperation country's message at Davos

At a time when the world economy is grappling with sluggish growth, rising protectionism and worsening geopolitical frictions, China’s participation in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos carries clear and constructive significance. At the invitation of the World Economic Forum and the Swiss government, Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng is attending the meeting and visiting Switzerland from Monday to Thursday, underscoring China’s commitment to dialogue, cooperation and an open world economy.

As Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun noted, the meeting in Davos is widely regarded as the “wind vane of the world economy”, providing an important platform for discussing global economic trends and ways to promote cooperation and development. The Chinese vice-premier’s participation in the event demonstrates China’s willingness to engage in high-level exchanges with all parties at a critical juncture for the global economy.

The theme of this year’s meeting, “A Spirit of Dialogue”, is particularly relevant. The global landscape today is marked by uncertainty and instability, with traditional growth drivers weakening and new challenges emerging. Against this backdrop, China has consistently advocated communication over confrontation, cooperation over division, and multilateralism over unilateral moves. As Guo emphasized, China looks forward to working with all participants to enhance dialogue and exchanges, pool consensus for cooperation, practice true multilateralism, jointly build an open world economy, and strive for global development that is more inclusive, resilient and beneficial for all. This is a long-standing position rooted in China’s own development experience and its assessment of global needs.

China’s confidence in promoting openness and cooperation is backed by solid economic fundamentals. Official data show that China’s foreign trade expanded by 3.8 percent year-on-year in 2025, reaching a record 45.47 trillion yuan ($6.48 trillion). Achieved despite the complex external environment, this marked the ninth consecutive year of growth since 2017. Exports rose by 6.1 percent to 26.99 trillion yuan, while imports reached a historic high of 18.48 trillion yuan, consolidating China’s position as the world’s second-largest import market.

These figures are more than statistics; they reflect China’s capacity and foundation to build an open economy. During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period, China’s cumulative import and export value exceeded 200 trillion yuan, a 40 percent increase over the previous five-year period. As Wang Jun, deputy head of the General Administration of Customs, pointed out, such achievements are “truly remarkable and hard-won” amid the global economic headwinds. They stem from pro-trade stabilization policies, the sustained release of demand from China’s vast domestic market and a complete industrial system that can flexibly adapt to overseas needs.

International institutions have also taken note. Last month, the International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for China’s economic growth in 2025 to 5 percent, while the World Bank has revised its projection upward, citing accommodative fiscal and monetary policies and resilient demand. These assessments further reinforce the message China brings to Davos — openness, reform and cooperation remain viable paths to growth.

China’s stance at the World Economic Forum is also consistent with the policy direction set at the annual Central Economic Work Conference held in December. The meeting stressed the need to pursue high-quality development, deepen reform and steadily advance institutional opening-up. It emphasized expanding self-initiated opening-up, promoting international economic and trade cooperation, supporting multilateral mechanisms and contributing to the building of an open world economy. These commitments demonstrate that China’s advocacy of multilateralism and cooperation abroad is also firmly anchored in its domestic policy agenda.

In a world where some economies are retreating behind barriers and politicizing economic issues, China’s presence at Davos sends a clear signal. Dialogue remains indispensable, openness remains essential and cooperation remains the only sustainable choice. By engaging constructively with all like-minded parties in Davos, China is not only sharing its development opportunities but also injecting much-needed stability and positive energy into the global economy.