Davos 2017: China’s Xi Jinping on the Global stage

Xi Jinping is set to become the first Chinese president to attend the World Economic Forum's annual gathering high in Davos. It's a visit rich in symbolism: Beijing is positioning itself as a global leader at a time when Western powers, and especially the United States, are retreating from the world stage.

Globalisation and free trade are being attacked in the US and Europe. And with a new president about to enter the White House, President Xi's speech will be watched very carefully.

This visit has attracted even greater international media attention than the normally high levels of interest in a trip by China's leader. As the Financial Times chief foreign affairs columnist Gideon Rachman put it, "The big star of this year's forum is certain to be Xi Jinping."

His speech on the first day of the forum, just days before US president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, will offer clues on how he plans to guide the world’s second-biggest economy and how China will behave in a world of Trump and Brexit. Those in attendance will be on the lookout for any direct response to Trump’s threats to label China a currency manipulator and slap a 45% tariff on imports of Chinese products.

According to Jiang Jianguo, a minister in China's State Council Information office, President Xi will be "offering Chinese remedies for the world's economic ailments".

Last year, China was represented at Davos by Vice-President Li Yuanchao and Fang Xinghai, a vice-chairman of China’s securities regulator. They used the occasion to play down risks in China’s equity and currency markets.