DUBBED “Asian Davos,” political and business figures gathered anew on the tropical island of Hainan for the annual Boao Forum this week.
This year, the event takes place from March 28-31 under the theme ‘An Uncertain World: Solidarity and Cooperation for Development amid Challenges’.
With headquarters in Bo’ao, Hainan, China, the Boao Forum for Asia, or BFA was founded in February 2001 by 26 Asian and Australasian states.
The event serves as a platform for government, business, and academia leaders in Asia and other continents to share their vision on the most pressing issues in the region and the world.
So far, the forum has been an effective channel for exchanging ideas over the most concerning economic issues during the last two decades.
Among the most notable guests include Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who landed in Guangzhou for a six-day official visit to China.
This is Prime Minister Lee’s first visit to China in the past four years.
On Wednesday, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in the island province of Hainan, marking his first visit to the republic as Prime Minister.
Anwar is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping and his counterpart Li Qiang as part of his trip to China.
Meanwhile, Matthias Cormann, the secretary-general of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development forecasted a relatively strong growth and strong recovery in Asia despite downside risks. Moreover, the reopening of the Chinese economy will lead to stronger growth in China and create a positive effect across Asia.
“Our outlook for Asia is relatively strong growth and strong recovery, subject to a level of downside risks…The Chinese economy reopening will lead to stronger growth in China, which will have a positive effect across Asia as a whole,” said Mathias Cormann, OECD Chief.
