Return of the Boao Forum
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2021, set to take place on April 18-21 in Boao, Hainan Province, will center around the theme A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation.
This year’s BFA annual conference is a special one as it occurs under the as of yet unrelenting influence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, it is officially the world’s first major largescale international conference to take place mainly offline this year. This conference will see dozens of leaders from countries and international organizations and former dignitaries, as well as a number of prominent figures from the political and business circles, attending both online and offline.
Given the impact of the pandemic on the global economy, the primary task of this year’s BFA annual conference is to help countries build a consensus on development and reshape growth confidence for the post-pandemic era.
With the flow of production factors disrupted, the Belt and Road cooperation has promoted economic recovery across Asia and its adjacent regions, demonstrated the determination of Asian countries to promote international cooperation, as well as provided an “Asian perspective” for the improvement of global governance. This in turn explains the theme of this year’s BFA edition.
China was the only major world economy that realized positive growth in 2020 despite the setbacks brought on by the pandemic, and it will take on a more active role with its contributions to global economic growth. Consequently, this year’s BFA annual conference will include a module called Explore China, discussing China’s development trends and its impact on the recovery of the world economy.
Furthermore, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the forum. As a non-governmental, non-profit and open international organization convening on a regular basis, at a fixed location, the BFA advocates equality, mutual benefit and win-win cooperation. After 20 years of development, it has become one of the most influential cooperation platforms in all of Asia.
Whereas the current multilateral cooperation mechanism is facing severe challenges, the BFA is bound to play a more crucial role in safeguarding globalization and the multilateral trade system.