First Xi, Now Carney – Davos Never Learns

In January 2017, shortly after President Donald Trump’s first inauguration, Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. He presented his country as a defender of globalization, free trade, and the international order. The speech was a sensation.  

An audience still unsettled by Trump’s first election greeted Xi’s remarks with enthusiasm. Media outlets around the world highlighted his warning that protectionism was like “locking oneself in a dark room...