China didn’t grab many headlines at Davos, but it’s the elephant in the room

BEIJING — As high-profile world leaders weighed in on U.S. claims to Greenland in Davos last week, China’s envoy reiterated: call for cooperation.

Business leaders and analysts in China said the developments underlined the opportunity for Beijing to expand its global influence as tensions between the United States and its allies escalate.

Hai Zhao, director of international political studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a state-run think tank, said this year’s Davos was a “watershed” moment.

He said countries are likely to turn to regional trade rather than a global economy centered on the United States.

The world’s second-largest economy sent He Lifeng, one of its four deputy prime ministers, to Davos, where he promoted business opportunities in China and called for fair treatment of Chinese companies. In his speech Tuesday, he cited U.S.-China trade talks as an example of cooperation, without any specific discussion of other countries.

His remarks received less attention than those said by other world leaders at the forum. US President Donald Trump made headlines by making personal attacks on foreign leaders and later He softens his stance on Greenland.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen potentiallydate“Let’s make a deal with India.

In particular, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed that “a break in the world order” in a short speech praised by many commentators potentially historic.

But analysts in China said Beijing’s consistent messaging would further increase global influence.

Wei Wang, a researcher at Tianjin Commerce University, said that US tensions with Europe are good for China’s relations with the bloc.

He said the Greenland dispute could accelerate the West’s acceptance that competition with China has failed and reinforce the idea that global power is shifting eastward.

Peter Alexander, managing director of Shanghai-based Z-Ben Advisors, said the Davos speeches showed a growing recognition of fundamental global changes that many countries outside the United States, Europe and Japan already knew about.

“It is becoming clearer every day that as long as China dominates manufacturing, all other nations have little influence or ability to act,” he said.

China’s share of global container shipments increased steadily, reaching 37% in the first three quarters of last year. Beijing became the first major economy to retaliate against Trump’s so-called “Liberation Day” tariffs in April and increasingly sees itself as a stabilizing force for the world.

The United States and China reached a fragile one-year ceasefire in October, and Trump will visit China in April. But tariffs remain high as Washington continues to restrict China’s access to advanced technologies.

The U.S.-China rivalry is the result of “decades of cascading miscalculations by American policymakers and business leaders,” Alexander said in an article published Thursday that documents his perspective as an American who has lived in China for nearly 30 years.

As 2026 begins, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin. First visit by an Irish leader in 14 years – And hosted Later the same day, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Canada’s Carney met with Xi in Beijing last week and announced a new strategic partnership involving canola seeds and electric cars. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to make a similar trip next week.

Jacob Cooke, co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, said these visits help increase business confidence in interacting with China. The company helps foreign brands like Vitamix and IS Clinical sell online in China and other parts of Asia.

Last year, as the U.S. increased tariffs, Cooke said he saw “an increase in interest from non-American, Western consumer brands looking to diversify their international sales by exporting to China.” He said Chinese consumers continue to seek premium products in categories such as vitamins, pets and sports.

Chinese Vice Premier He said that increasing domestic demand, especially increasing income, is a priority this year.

This remains a challenge for China’s state-dominated economy. Retail sales rose just 0.9% in December, the slowest growth since the pandemic. Top economic planning officials had no specific measures to share when asked last week about measures to increase disposable income.

Global trends are changing regardless of China’s internal problems.

Larry Fink, CEO of US financial giant BlackRock and co-chairman of this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, said on Tuesday that the meeting may not always be held in the Swiss Alps.

It could be “in places like Detroit and Dublin and in cities like Jakarta and Buenos Aires.” said Fink. “The mountain will descend to the earth.”

The summer version of the forum has been running in China since 2007, and this year’s event is planned to be held in the northeastern city of Dalian. Last year, participants noted the shift away from Western economies and business.

Trump also hinted at a softer tone towards China in his high-profile Davos speech.

“I’ve always had a very good relationship with President Xi. He’s an incredible man. What he’s done is incredible, he’s highly respected by everyone,” Trump said.

He added that the relationship had been “very severely disrupted by Covid” but had stopped using the term “Chinese virus” at Xi’s request.