DAVOS, Switzerland — Ever since President Xi Jinping of China unveiled the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013 to link the economies of Asia, Europe and Africa with highways, rail lines and power plants, Beijing has promoted the program as a centerpiece of its foreign policy.
But China has turned down the volume on its plan, even though it still appears to be moving forward. Spending on the initiative also fell somewhat last year, as the broader Chinese economy slowed.
Various senior Chinese government officials are at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, including Vice President Wang Qishan, who is to speak on Wednesday. None of them, though, participated in a panel during one of the forum’s most prominent time slots Tuesday that was focused on the Belt and Road Initiative and billed as a review of “China’s trillion-dollar vision.”
Instead, the vice chairman of a government-linked trade association and the chairman of a state-owned business spoke cautiously about the initiative.
