Mr Xi will speak at the opening session on January 17 and he's expected to hold conversations with global leaders including UK Prime Minister Theresa May, outgoing US Vice President Joe Biden and South African President Jacob Zuma, according to Bloomberg.
Executives accompanying the presdient to the meeting include Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. founder Jack Ma; Dalian Wanda Group Co. chairman, Wang Jianlin; and Baidu Inc. president, Zhang Yaqin. Huawei Technologies Co. chairwoman, Sun Yafang; chairman of China Telecom Corp., Yang Jie; and China Poly Group Corp. chairman, Xu Niansha will also attend.
Mr Ma and Mr Wang are China's two richest people, with net worths of US$34.5 billion and $30.5 billion, respectively, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. They rank 15th and 21st globally.
WEF's chief China representative, David Aikman, said at a briefing in Beijing: "This year, because of the size and scale of the China delegation, we have Chinese voices in most of the global discussions". Participants want "to know China's view on global and regional issues," he added.
The trip comes as China casts itself as an advocate of globalisation in the wake of Donald Trump's election as US president on an "America First" platform that was critical of free-trade deals. Mr Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated in Washington on the final day of the meeting.
The event will provide a forum for Mr Xi to tout China's role in the global economy, as he prepares for a key Communist Party gathering this year expected to give him a second term as leader. He will likely highlight signature projects such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the One Belt, One Road trade-and-infrastructure initiative, which help leverage Chinese economic might into geopolitical clout.
Executives accompanying the presdient to the meeting include Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. founder Jack Ma; Dalian Wanda Group Co. chairman, Wang Jianlin; and Baidu Inc. president, Zhang Yaqin. Huawei Technologies Co. chairwoman, Sun Yafang; chairman of China Telecom Corp., Yang Jie; and China Poly Group Corp. chairman, Xu Niansha will also attend.
Mr Ma and Mr Wang are China's two richest people, with net worths of US$34.5 billion and $30.5 billion, respectively, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. They rank 15th and 21st globally.
WEF's chief China representative, David Aikman, said at a briefing in Beijing: "This year, because of the size and scale of the China delegation, we have Chinese voices in most of the global discussions". Participants want "to know China's view on global and regional issues," he added.
The trip comes as China casts itself as an advocate of globalisation in the wake of Donald Trump's election as US president on an "America First" platform that was critical of free-trade deals. Mr Trump is scheduled to be inaugurated in Washington on the final day of the meeting.
The event will provide a forum for Mr Xi to tout China's role in the global economy, as he prepares for a key Communist Party gathering this year expected to give him a second term as leader. He will likely highlight signature projects such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the One Belt, One Road trade-and-infrastructure initiative, which help leverage Chinese economic might into geopolitical clout.