CHINA will highlight its vision of an open world economy and win-win cooperation at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting and send a resounding signal that it will continue to open up its market for the world, businesses and experts said Sunday.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will attend the WEF annual meeting in Switzerland. Li’s attendance underscores great importance China attaches to the WEF, experts said.

Asked about China’s hopes for the WEF annual meeting, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said Thursday that “we look to increase exchanges and communication and enhance mutual understanding and trust with other parties to the forum to contribute our part to better global economic recovery and governance and joint response to challenges.”

Li will also pay official visits to Switzerland and Ireland, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, marking the first high-level major diplomatic event for the Chinese premier in 2024. The trip will kick off high-level exchanges between China and Europe this year, the ministry said.

“By having such a high-level representation at the WEF, China coveys to the world its firm determination to continue to support the establishment of an open world economy,” Sang Baichuan, dean of the Institute of International Economy at the University of International Business and Economics, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Sang said China will promote multilateralism and strengthen communication at this forum.

“We believe Premier Li will further emphasize the fact that China is open for business and will continue market reforms and liberalization,” Rani Jarkas, chairman of Cedrus Group, told the Global Times.

The Central Economic Work Conference in December 2023, which set economic priorities for 2024, pledged efforts to stabilize foreign trade and investment.

“Faced with the backdrop of rising global protectionism and competition between China and the U.S., China will further send signals that it would continue to expand opening up,” Sun Yanhong, a senior research fellow at the Institute of European Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said.

(Global Times)