(Yicai) March 26 -- This year’s Boao Forum for Asia, often referred to as Asia’s Davos, opened in China’s Hainan province yesterday.

Under the theme of Asia in the Changing World: Towards a Shared Future, the four-day event brings together more than 300 global participants, including nearly 120 ministerial-level officials and around 30 heads of international and regional organizations, as well as business leaders and renowned scholars.

“The theme of this year’s conference will help us better navigate the current situation, foster unity and cooperation, and strive for common development,” BFA Secretary-General Zhang Jun said at a press conference yesterday. 

“We hope that through this year’s annual conference, we can send the international community a strong message of trust and confidence, solidarity and cooperation, common development and a shared future,” he said.

The Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress annual report and one other report on sustainable development titled Addressing Climate Change: Asia Going Green were also released on the first day of the event.

The reports show that Asian economies, particularly China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, continue to demonstrate strong resilience despite numerous challenges, leading the world in economic growth, trade in goods and services, and regional integration, Zhang said.

The region is nurturing new potential and opportunities and has become an important force and cornerstone stabilizing and underpinning the global economy, he added.

BFA Secretary-General Zhang Jun introduces key details of the forum.

Cao Li, deputy director of the BFA Research Institute, holds Chinese and English versions of the sustainability report.

A copy of the Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress report.

Erik Berglof, chief economist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, delivers a speech.

Zhang Yuyan, dean and professor of the School of International Politics and Economics at University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, speaks at the forum.

Editor: Tom Litting