Davos: Billionaire philanthropist George Soros has labelled Chinese President Xi Jinping the "most dangerous enemy" of open societies and urged the Trump administration to "focus" on the Communist giant instead of waging a trade war with the whole
world.
Launching a scathing attack on China and its president Xi at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Thursday during a private dinner event here in Switzerland, the 88-year-old investor and progressive political activist, also recommended a crackdown on Chinese tech companies.
He said artificial intelligence and machine learning pose a grave threat when they are controlled by authoritarian states. He singled out the use of such technologies by the Chinese government as a "mortal danger."
Soros warned that the Chinese government was developing a "social credit" system that would monitor people living in the world's most populous nation and urged the United States to aggressively counter the threat.
The social credit system, if it became operational, would give Xi total control over the people, Soros said.
"Since Xi is the most dangerous enemy of the open society, we must pin our hopes on the Chinese people, and especially on the business community and a political elite willing to uphold the Confucian tradition," he said.
But he said China is not the only authoritarian regime in the world but the world's second largest economy is the wealthiest, strongest and technologically most advanced.
"This makes Xi Jinping the most dangerous opponent of open societies," Soros said.
Xi, 65, is regarded as the most powerful leader after Chairman Mao Zedong, heading the ruling Communist Party, the military and the Presidency.