Speaking at the opening plenary alongside the president of Poland, Andrzej Duda, the prime minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, and People's Republic of China Premier Li Qiang, Schwab regurgitated parts of his speech from last year's meeting, praising China for its economic policies while congratulating everyone participating in the event for representing "the most outstanding talents from business, government, academia, and civil society."

In his very brief opening statement, the unelected globalist founder of the WEF said that the participants must "force collaboration" in order to drive economic growth and create a more resilient future.

"To drive future economic growth we must embrace innovation and force the collaboration across sectors, regions, nations, and cultures to create a more peaceful, inclusive, sustainable, and resilient future," said Schwab.

"At this critical juncture the active participation of all stakeholders is essential to ensure a sustainable development path," he added.

Schwab also mentioned that technologies coming out of the so-called fourth industrial revolution would make the world a better place.

"We are witnessing rapid technological advances with many opportunities, and with artificial intelligence, rapidly transforming our production and our lives," he said, adding, "Breakthroughs from the fourth industrial revolution provide new opportunities for global prosperity and growth."