Even the briefest scan of the list of delegates to this year's World Economic Forum shows one prominent group which is out in force this year: Chinese business people, economists and policymakers.
Representation from the world's second-largest economy after the U.S. had been proportionately thin on the ground at previous meetings — often because it coincided with the Chinese New Year celebrations, which are usually in late January/early February.
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This year, high-profile Chinese attendees include Gao Xiqing, chief investment officer of the China Investment Corporation. However, there are no attendees from the Politburo, the Communist Party of China's governing body. The evolution of China and its relationship with the global economy is also likely to be one of the key themes.
(Read more: Apple-China deal 'watershed moment': Tim Cook)
Japan, China's big rival in its region, has long been well-represented at Davos. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, is one of the event's keynote speakers, and his discussion of how Japan is trying to reverse its economic stagnation is expected to be one of the biggest themes of the conference.
"Historically, the Chinese have not played a prominent role," John Studzinski, senior managing director of The Blackstone Group and another Davos veteran, told CNBC.
