On the morning of January 16 local time, Premier of the State Council Li Qiang attended the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2024 at the Davos Congress Center and delivered a special address. Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum Klaus Schwab chaired the meeting.

Li Qiang noted that the theme of this meeting, “Rebuilding Trust,” echoes well with people’s concerns. Trust comes from our shared aspiration for a better future for humanity and from our common will to work together for that vision. As President Xi Jinping pointed out, the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation. Yet the overall direction of human development and progress will not change, the overall dynamics of world history moving forward amid twists and turns will not change, and the overall trend toward a shared future for the international community will not change. It is essential that we discard prejudice, bridge differences, treat each other with sincerity and work as one in the same direction to tackle the trust deficit.

Li Qiang shared a five-point proposal on rebuilding trust, enhancing cooperation and promoting world economic recovery. First, strengthening macroeconomic policy coordination and firmly upholding the multilateral trading system to build greater synergy for global growth. Second, strengthening global industrial specialization and collaboration and firmly advancing trade and investment liberalization and facilitation to keep global industrial and supply chains stable and smooth. Third, strengthening international exchanges and cooperation on science and technology, working together for an open, just and nondiscriminatory environment for the development of science and technology, and breaking the barriers impeding the flow of factors of innovation. Fourth, strengthening cooperation on green development, removing various barriers in this field, jointly working for a transition to green development, and upholding the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, so as to actively tackle climate change. Fifth, strengthening North-South and South-South cooperation, fully implementing the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and bridging development gaps, so as to build a universally beneficial and inclusive world economy.

Li Qiang stressed that China is a country that attaches great importance to commitments, honoring its words with concrete actions all along. With greatest sincerity, utmost efforts and concrete results, China has proven consistently to the world that it is a country worthy of trust. Over recent years, China has been an important engine of global development. We are now advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development. China has established sound and solid fundamentals in terms of the industrial base, production factors and innovation capacity. The overall trend of long-term growth will not change. It will provide continuous and strong impetus to the development of the world. China has a supersize market with rapidly unlocked demand. China is also cultivating large-scale new growth drivers in areas such as a new type of urbanization and green transition. It will provide broader space for boosting global trade and investment. No matter how the world changes, China will stay committed to the fundamental national policy of opening up and open its door still wider to the world. Choosing the Chinese market is not a risk, but an opportunity. We embrace investments from businesses of all countries with open arms, and will steadily expand institutional opening up, continue to shorten the negative list for foreign investment, provide national treatment for foreign businesses, and keep fostering a market-oriented, law-based and world-class business environment.

After the address, Li Qiang answered questions from Klaus Schwab on topics including AI governance and the multilateral system. He stressed that we must be people-centered, inclusive and bring benefit for all, work for good AI with good governance, and guide AI in a direction that is conducive to the progress of human civilization; true multilateralism should be built on basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, China neither walks away from agreements or pulls out of organizations, nor do we ask other countries to pick sides, and we have always been a staunch supporter of multilateralism.

President of the Swiss Confederation Viola Amherd, President of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam, King of Belgium Philippe, President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, President of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Prime Minister of Luxembourg Luc Frieden, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, WIPO Director General Daren Tang and about 1,500 political figures and representatives from the business community, academia and media organizations of various countries attended the event.