DPM Tharman, Heng Swee Keat and Iswaran to attend annual World Economic Forum in Davos

(From left) Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran, who is also Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations, will speak on a variety of topics, including global trade and financial governance, infrastructure development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence. PHOTOS: MCI, LIANHE ZAOBAO, KELVIN CHNG

Political Correspondent

Updated

Published

Jan 21, 2019, 06:00 PM

SINGAPORE - Three Cabinet Ministers will attend this year's World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, which starts on Tuesday (Jan 22).

They are Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat, and Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran, who is also Minister-in-Charge of Trade Relations.

At the four-day event, the ministers will speak on a variety of topics, including global trade and financial governance, infrastructure development, the digital economy and artificial intelligence, said the Prime Minister's office in a statement on Monday (Jan 21).

They will also meet government and business leaders from around the world.

The theme for this year's Davos meeting is Globalisation 4.0: Shaping A New Architecture In The Age Of The Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Major leaders will be missing from the meeting, including United States President Donald Trump, who cancelled his delegation's trip to tackle the ongoing US government shutdown, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is sending Vice-President Wang Qishan.

British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron will also not be in attendance.

Only three leaders from the Group of Seven's (G-7) most developed economies will be present: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.

The forum was founded by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab in 1971. It aims to improve the state of the world by bringing together business, political, academic and other leaders to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Business leaders, for example, will have opportunities to network and strike deals with their counterparts from other countries on the sidelines of the main conference.

Delegates will have more than 300 sessions to choose from. Issues on the agenda include climate change, mental health and the rise of populism.

The three ministers from Singapore will be accompanied by officials from the Prime Minister's Office, the Finance Ministry, and the Ministry of Communications and Information.