A Debriefing of Davos

On January 19, 2026, the 56th World Economic Forum Summit concluded in Davos, Switzerland. The Summit is a place for world leaders to converse on trade, geopolitics, and other global issues. It has been historically quite eventful; Chinese President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, among others, have made appearances in the past. Other notable leaders in the tech and corporate world are also frequently present, with Bill Gates and Elon Musk making appearances previously. But the atmosphere at Davos 2026 has been strangely different. What used to be a place of immense cooperation and negotiation felt far more strenuous and cold, as world leaders now feel that the time for talking is coming to a close.

The first thought on all leaders’ minds at the WEF was, of course, Trump. Namely, his recent comments and threats regarding a possible US takeover of Greenland. These comments, first beginning in 2019, have flip-flopped between implying the use of military force to take over the island and talks of a trade deal. Greenland is of high strategic importance to the US and the world: its coastal position allows it to monitor ocean traffic from Russia’s northern coast—including nuclear submarines. This would allow the US to block Russian access to the Atlantic Ocean if it ever needed to. Additionally, as climate change causes ice melt along Greenland’s coast, potential rare earth metals and oil may be exposed, adding another benefit for the United States.

But those benefits all come at a steep price: the loss of European support. A reality made clear at Davos, as several European leaders have spoken against Trump and moved European troops into the region. French President Emmanuel Macron, while not naming Trump directly, denounced “bullies” and warned of “a world without rules.” Later, Donald Trump falsely claimed that he was responsible for coercing Macron into raising drug prices, which would ideally help US manufacturers lower prices domestically, stating: “They’ve been screwing us for 30 years.” The French President called out this claim on social media, stating: “It’s being claimed that President @EmmanuelMacron increased the price of medicines.” “He does not set their prices. They are regulated by the social security system and have, in fact, remained stable. Anyone who has set foot in a French pharmacy knows this.”

Additional plans were made for another notable Trump announcement: the creation of a “Gaza Board of Peace.” The Gaza Board of Peace is a new board headed or signed by:

• Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Court, Bahrain

• Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Morocco

• Javier Milei, President, Argentina

• Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister, Armenia

• Ilham Aliyev, President, Azerbaijan

• Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister, Bulgaria

• Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister, Hungary

• Prabowo Subianto, President, Indonesia

• Ayman Al Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jordan

• Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President, Kazakhstan

• Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President, Kosovo

• Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister, Pakistan

• Santiago Peña, President, Paraguay

• Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister, Qatar

• Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia

• Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Turkey

• Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Special Envoy to the U.S. for the UAE

• Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President, Uzbekistan

• Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, Prime Minister, Mongolia

It intends to create and maintain long-lasting peace in Gaza; however, Trump has lately used the Gaza Peace Board as a political lever, granting and removing positions to those who have earned his favor (or lost it), such as excluding Denmark from the plan entirely.

Talks soon turned to the usage of rare earth minerals, especially when it comes to green technology and the development of AI. US delegates were concerned about the world’s reliance on Chinese-owned rare earth metals, and how this, combined with increasing conflict, could affect supply chains globally.

China was considered the “unaddressed elephant in the room” by many, where, as stated by Reuters, “China is seen ‘controlling the dynamic through stillness,’ a senior global business leader told Reuters, a reference to a move from The Art of War, where you wait patiently for your enemy to exhaust themselves on the battlefield.”

China remained unusually quiet during the WEF—in stark contrast to the United States’ large power moves. This presented a feeling of stability in comparison to the United States’ motion, but was also curious for some. In a world soon to be dominated by EVs, green energy and AI, China is a key player. According to the International Energy Agency, China controls roughly 60% of global rare earth mining and nearly 85% of rare earth processing capacity. This has led some world leaders to seek more relations and trade deals with the nation: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called the world’s second-largest economy a “reliable and predictable partner.” The UK’s Prime Minister has also alluded to plans to continue dialogue around trade with China later this week.

In total, the WEF 2026 Davos summit was largely dominated by Trump and the United States—but China’s stability and resources may continue to dominate outside of it. All of which can be read here, at The Red Folder.

Read more here: 

• Meredith Schwartz, Center for Strategic and International Studies

• Staff, The Financial Times

• Britteny Melton, NPR