U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres ratcheted up his warning about climate change and said the world’s thirst for fossil fuels is a “Frankenstein monster” that spares no one, while calling for greater attention to risks posed by artificial intelligence if its ascent goes ungoverned — even as some leaders played up its promise.

China's Vice-Premier Ding Xuexiang at the 55th annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2025. REUTERS/Yves Herman China does not pursue a trade surplus and is willing to import more competitive and high-quality products and services to balance trade, Ding Xuexiang, the country's vice premier, said on Tuesday.

The World Economic Forum has held a meeting every year since it was founded in 1971. But why is Davos, as it is commonly known, so significant?