Flags fly during the 56th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 19, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
Denis Balibouse | Reuters
BEIJING – As senior leaders commented on U.S. claims to Greenland in Davos last week, China’s envoy reiterated his calls for cooperation.
Businesses and analysts in China said the developments highlight an opportunity for Beijing to expand its influence globally as tensions rise between the U.S. and its allies.
This year’s Davos is a “turning point,” said Hai Zhao, director of international policy studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a government-affiliated think tank.
He said countries would likely focus on 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 on Tuesday, he cited the U.S.-China trade talks as an example of cooperation, without specific discussions about other countries.
His comments attracted less attention than those of other world leaders at the forum. US President Donald Trump made headlines by personally attacking foreign leaders and later softening his stance on Greenland.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen outlined possible trade deals, including a potentially “historic” agreement with India.
Notably, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney outlined “a rupture in the world order” in a short speech praised by many commentators as potentially historic.
But analysts in China said it was Beijing’s consistent messaging that would exert greater global influence.
Tensions between the US and Europe are good for China’s relations with the bloc, said Wei Wang, a researcher at Tianjin University of Commerce.
He said the Greenland controversy could reinforce what he called Western acceptance that competition with China is failing, while reinforcing the idea that global power is shifting eastward.
The Davos speeches indicate a growing acceptance of fundamental global changes that many countries outside the United States, Europe and Japan are already familiar with, said Peter Alexander, managing director of Shanghai-based Z-Ben Advisors.
“With each passing day it becomes clear that as long as China dominates production, all other nations have little influence or ability to act,” he said.
China’s share of global container shipments has been steadily increasing, 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 is increasingly presenting itself as a stabilizing force for the world.
The US and China reached a fragile year-long ceasefire in October and Trump is expected to 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 culmination of decades of “consistent misjudgments by American politicians and business leaders,” Alexander said in an essay published Thursday that documents his perspective as an American who has lived in China for nearly 30 years.
Beijing hosts more world leaders
In January alone, several world leaders visited China, signaling changes that are a sharp contrast to the more isolated years surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the start of 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin – the first visit by an Irish leader in 14 years – and later in the day received South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Canada’s Carney met with Xi in Beijing last week and announced a new strategic partnership on rapeseed and electric cars. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to make a similar trip next week.
“These visits help increase companies’ confidence in working with China,” said Jacob Cooke, co-founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies. The company helps foreign brands such as Vitamix and IS Clinical sell online in China and other parts of Asia.
Over the last year, as the U.S. raised tariffs, Cooke said he “saw an increase in interest from non-U.S. Western consumer brands looking to diversify their international sales through exports to China.” Chinese consumers continued to look for premium products in categories such as vitamins, pets and sports, he said.
China’s Vice Premier He said boosting domestic demand, particularly income growth, 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 pace since the pandemic. When asked last week about measures to increase disposable income, senior economic planning officials still had no concrete measures to offer.
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Global trends are changing regardless of China’s domestic challenges.
Larry Fink, CEO of US financial giant BlackRock and co-chair of this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, said on Tuesday that the meeting may not always take place in the Swiss Alps.
It could be in “places like Detroit and Dublin and cities like Jakarta and Buenos Aires,” Fink said. “The mountain will descend to the earth.”
The forum has been running a summer version in China since 2007, with this year’s event planned for the northeastern city of Dalian. Last year, participants noted a shift away from Western economies and companies.
Trump also hinted at a softer tone toward China in his high-profile speech in Davos.
“I’ve always had a very good relationship with President Xi… he’s an incredible man. What he’s done is amazing, he’s highly respected by everyone,” Trump said.
He added that while the relationship had been “very severely disrupted by Covid”, he had stopped using the term “China virus” at Xi’s request.