Backgrounder: Boao Forum for Asia

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) is a high-end dialogue platform dedicated to promoting common development through regional integration of the Asian economy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host this year’s conference scheduled on April 8 to 11.

BFA was proposed in 1998 by former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos, former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and former Japanese Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and was formally inaugurated on Feb. 27, 2001.

China serves as the permanent site of the BFA Headquarters. Since 2002, BFA has been holding its annual conference in Boao.

Although Asian countries have participated in many international conferences and organizations such as APEC and PECC, Asia as a whole used to lack a forum led by Asians and guided by Asian perspectives, interests and views.

BFA has brought a significant change to the situations as its purpose is to enhance cooperation and exchanges among Asian countries, and between Asian countries and other parts of the world.

After 17 years of development, BFA has become a high-end dialogue platform for governments, enterprises, experts, scholars and business leaders to jointly discuss economy, society, environment, new high-tech, innovation, financial reforms, investment, trade and other issues essential to the future of Asia.

It also offers a significant platform for other countries to better understand China’s diplomacy as well as China’ s initiatives such as the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.