\n The Swiss Alpine village of Davos greeted the world's political and corporate A-listers again, but it was not business as usual.\n<\/p>\n
\n There was no snow, no Russians and fewer Chinese delegates -- but plenty of rain and Ukrainians.\n<\/p>\n
\n The World Economic Forum is typically held in January under a blanket of snow.\n<\/p>\n
\n But after the 2020 event was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic, this year's WEF was postponed until the spring.\n<\/p>\n
\n - Wet streets and tests -\n<\/p>\n
\n While the streets were wet, it was easier for delegates to get to and from the congress centre and their hotels than usual.\n<\/p>\n
\n In the winter, it takes longer to go from place to place -- and it can be a slippery affair.\n<\/p>\n
\n But Adam Tooze, a prominent economics history professor at Columbia University in New York, was not a fan of the spring date.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I really think this time of year doesn't suit Davos at all. It's not summer and it's not winter,\" Tooze said. \"It's a lot prettier, it's really exotic and weird in the winter.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n While the WEF returned as Covid restrictions fell in Europe, organisers did not take any chances and required participants to be vaccinated and tested before travelling to Davos.\n<\/p>\n
\n Arriving on site, delegates had to take another Covid test to be able to participate. Only one percent of attendees tested positive, according to the WEF.\n<\/p>\n
\n This allowed people to mingle around the congress and party at night without masks on.\n<\/p>\n
\n - Russians out -\n<\/p>\n
\n The WEF decided to exclude Russians in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.\n<\/p>\n
\n The Russians have traditionally been a major presence in Davos and held court at the \"Russia House\" on the main street.\n<\/p>\n
\n But the red-shutter house was taken over by Ukrainians, who renamed it the \"Russian War Crimes House\" to put a spotlight on the alleged atrocities committed in their country.\n<\/p>\n
\n The forum usually focuses on economic and climate issues, but the war in Ukraine took centre stage at the event, which was held under the theme \"History at a Turning Point\".\n<\/p>\n
\n Ukraine's foreign minister, lawmakers and mayors seized on the event to plead for more heavy weapons for their army and harsher sanctions on Russia.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"This year, Davos is (the) Ukrainian forum, Ukrainian Davos,\" Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, whose foundation was behind the \"Russian War Crimes House\", said at an event.\n<\/p>\n
\n - Smaller Chinese presence -\n<\/p>\n
\n Organiser said 2,500 delegates, including 50 heads of state and government, were expected at this year's edition.\n<\/p>\n
\n But there were far fewer Chinese participants than usual.\n<\/p>\n
\n Organisers said 21 delegates from China attended this year's WEF, compared to 79 at the last in-person forum in January 2020.\n<\/p>\n
\n While European nations have dropped their Covid restrictions, Chinese authorities have imposed lockdowns on Shanghai as the country battles its worst outbreak since the start of the pandemic.\n<\/p>\n
\n Travelling also requires a lengthy quarantine when returning to China.\n<\/p>\n
\n Zhu Ning, finance professor at the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, said some also missed this year's event because it was difficult to reschedule after it was postponed.\n<\/p>\n
\n But he decided it was important to make the trip.\n<\/p>\n
\n \"I think there is some misunderstanding and misperception of China right now,\" he told AFP. \"I just try to be this bridge to help the West understand China better.\"\n<\/p>\n
\n The most prominent Chinese participant was the country's climate envoy, Xie Zhenhua, who appeared on a panel alongside US counterpart John Kerry.\n<\/p>\n
\n Past events featured the likes of Alibaba founder Jack Ma and Huawei chief Ren Zhengfei.\n<\/p>\n
\n President Xi Jinping made a splash when he showed up in 2017.\n<\/p>\n
\n pc-lth\/bp\n<\/p>\n
\n Alibaba<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Swiss Alpine village of Davos greeted the world's political and corporate A-listers again, but it was not business as usual. There was no snow, no Russians and fewer Chinese delegates -- but plenty of rain and Ukrainians. The World Economic Forum is typically held in January under a blanket of snow. But after the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[553],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-92986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-live-feed"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n