By Leela de Kretser
(Reuters) – The main business of the World Economic Forum kicks off on Tuesday with a speech by Chinese premier Li Qiang top of the agenda.
Li’s address to global business leaders and investors comes as Beijing grapples with a sluggish post-pandemic recovery and a real estate slump.
We’ll be watching to see if Li sits down with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken or Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy for bilateral meetings.
Zelenskiy and the Swiss have called on China – an ally of Russia – to help end the war in Ukraine by joining peace talks.
Blinken touches down in Davos on Tuesday morning. He and national security adviser Jake Sullivan will both deliver speeches at Davos as the spectre of Donald Trump looms.
Trump secured a resounding win in the first 2024 Republican presidential contest in Iowa on Monday – and the global elite is starting to factor in what a second presidential term might look like.
As wars continue in Ukraine and the Middle East, how U.S. foreign policy will play out after the election is dominating Davos discussions.
Here are some key events to watch out for on Tuesday:
0800 GMT: Zelenskiy meets business leaders and financiers
0845 GMT: Qatari PM Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani speaks
0950 GMT: Chinese Premier Li Qiang speaks
1020 GMT: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks
1315 GMT: Zelenskiy’s speech
1400 GMT: Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks
1600 GMT: Sullivan’s address
1630 GMT: Jordan’s Prime Minister Bisher Han Al Khasawneh speaks
1730 GMT: Zelenskiy and Polish president Andrzej Duda attend official opening of Ukraine House
Parties on the sidelines Tuesday: Google reception, wine tasting with SecurityScorecard, Green Night by the Institute of Sustainability and Technology and the LGBTQ+ leaders dinner.
(Reporting by Leela de Kretser; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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