ZURICH, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will attend the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos next month, when world leaders will discuss ways to kickstart the global economy, organisers said on Wednesday.

Wen will address a special session on the first day of the Jan. 28-Feb. 1 meeting, to be attended by over 40 heads of state and government along with 1,200 business leaders.

"China has become a global power whose cooperation is essential to relaunch global economic growth," said Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will address the opening of the meeting, the WEF announced last month.

As the financial crisis has escalated, the WEF restructured the meeting at the Swiss mountain resort under a new theme: "Shaping the Post-Crisis World".

The organisers said on Wednesday Davos will also host a special meeting of environment ministers to discuss climate change ahead of a summit in Copenhagen due in late 2009.

The WEF was founded in 1971 as an independent organisation committed to improving the state of the world. The last Davos meeting was attended by more than 2,000 businessmen and politicians as well as 24 heads of state.

(Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Rupert Winchester)

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