Chinese Vice-Premier Huang Ju left Beijing Friday morning to attend the 2005 annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF), due to be held from Jan. 28 to 30 in Davos, Switzerland.

Huang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will deliver a speech at the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan told a regular press conference earlier.

Created in 1971 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the WEF is an important forum for political and business leaders, economists, and officials from international organizations to discuss major global issues.

The upcoming annual meeting will focus on "Taking Responsibility for Tough Choices".