Simeon Bennett and Simon Kennedy Geneva and London
CHINESE Premier Li Keqiang, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US Secretary of State John Kerry will be among the political heavyweights attending next week’s annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.
Li will lead China’s highest-level delegation since 2009 to the meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, while Kerry will be the most senior US official to attend since President Barack Obama took office.
The forum, which takes place from January 21 to January 24, would draw about 2 500 participants from more than 140 countries, the Geneva-based organisation said yesterday. The falling oil price, Russia’s incursion in Ukraine, the likelihood of quantitative easing in Europe and the renewed threat of terrorism are topics set to be discussed.
“2015 is a year when we are at a crossroads,” said Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the forum. “A world of disintegration, of hate, of fundamentalism, and on the other hand a world of solidarity, of co-operation. We have seen both of those worlds last week in Paris.”
Among business leaders attending are Jack Ma, the chairman of Alibaba Group, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook.
Economic policymakers present will include International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde, Bank of England governor Mark Carney and Bank of France governor Christian Noyer.
Russia’s delegation will not be headed by either the president or prime minister for the first time since 2012, with the country suffering international sanctions over the annexation of Crimea.
“The World Economic Forum serves the international community as a platform for public-private co-operation,” Schwab said.
“Such co-operation, to address the challenges we all face, is more vital than ever before.”
At least 40 heads of state or government and 13 Nobel laureates were participating, the forum said. The opening ceremony will feature Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.
The forum is jointly chaired by Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, Jubilant’s Hari Bhartia, Alliance Trust chief executive Katherine Garrett-Cox, Oxfam’s Winnie Byanyima and Itau Unibanco Holding chief executive Roberto Egydio Setubal.
High-profile delegates at this year’s forum would be transported to Davos via helicopter, the Swiss army said last year. – Bloomberg