Xi Jinping
Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg
When Xi Jinping addresses business elites at Davos, the Chinese president will find himself an unlikely champion of the trade-based global order Donald Trump has derided. His new role could prove to be one of his biggest tests.
On Tuesday, Xi will become the first Chinese head of state to address the World Economic Forum, a speech a top diplomat said would give a “blueprint for the future progress of human society.” His remarks in the Swiss ski town come days before Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president, after an election that called into question America’s commitment to free trade and threw the business world into a bout of soul-searching.
Xi’s presence marks a chance to cement China’s clout after decades of U.S. economic and military dominance. Facing a more protectionist, inward-looking Trump administration and a disruptive British exit from the European Union, Xi has been offering assurances that the world’s largest trading nation will defend the structures that have fostered globalization and economic growth.
What remains to be seen is how far Xi will go toward filling any gap left by Trump on the world stage.
Even Xi, with his regional trade initiatives and goal of a “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” has hewed closely to his predecessors’ policy of avoiding foreign entanglements. China also lacks experience in global governance to back up its economic heft, leaving it without potential tools to match any bigger ambitions.
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