Switzerland offers example how to increase soft power
- By Fu Jing
0 Comment(s)
Print
E-mail China Daily, January 20, 2016
|
|
|
A general view of Davos ahead of the Annual Meeting 2016 of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland January 18, 2016. [Photo/China Daily] |
Once a year, politicians, business gurus, journalists and celebrities from across the world gather at the annual "thought fair" in Davos, Switzerland. This year's annual winter meeting of the World Economic Forum will be held in Davos from Wednesday to Saturday.
Because of the importance of the forum and the huge number of representatives, even some beds in Davos hospitals are said to be "rented out" to delegates during the annual forum. Given the mad rush, I've not been able to book a hotel room in Davos during any of the past six forums, and instead I have had to check into a hotel in a nearby town and commute for an hour by train to and from the forum venue every day. Nevertheless, the forum, thanks to the new ideas, trends, debates and conversations it generates, has been a regular feature on my calendar.
Despite being a small country with a population of only about 8 million, Switzerland has occupied a prominent place in the world of economics and business. Now Davos has a sister gathering-Summer Davos held in Tianjin and Dalian in rotation-in addition to other important regional meetings in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Apart from that, Geneva is the second headquarters of the United Nations and home to dozens of international organizations, including the World Trade Organization and World Health Organization. And all these have increased the soft power of Switzerland.
By learning from Switzerland, China can shape its own soft power. In his New Year message, President Xi Jinping said the world is too big and the challenges too many, and China will adopt proactive approaches to embrace and tackle all of them. On these vows, Xi embarks on his first overseas tour of 2016 which will take him to Saudi Arab, Egypt and Iran and coincides with the Davos forum. And Xi's Middle East visit comes soon after the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank started operation on Saturday.
Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)