2020 has been a bumpy year, with many of its legacies still being felt at the beginning of 2021. One example is that many offline events are being forced to move online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the 40-year-old World Economic Forum, which is taking place for the first time in history via video link.

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a special speech at the virtual Davos Agenda on Monday. He said China will continue to play an active part in international cooperation in fighting COVID-19.

"This shows more and more responsibility to take its (China's) active role in global governance," said Gao Yuning, associate professor at the School of Public Administration, Tsinghua University.

China was the first country to be hit by COVID-19 and the first to bring it under control. The country has provided assistance to over 150 countries and 13 international organizations, and sent 36 medical expert teams to countries in need.

China is committed to taking an active role in international cooperation on COVID-19, Xi said in his speech.

Gao said the two key words "cooperation" and "responsibility" will undoubtedly be the hard topics of the Davos Forum over the coming days.

The global economy was hit hard in 2020 by the public health crisis, with many people's livelihoods hanging by a thread. In this difficult period, conflicts and confrontations between nations were on the rise. President Xi called on all parties to uphold multilateralism and build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Gao said that policy coordination is needed to save an ailing global economy. "I think President Xi emphasized on 'trust' in fighting against the pandemic as well as climate change ... We should share our information, our knowledge and even our technology to guarantee better policy coordination."