Boao Forum Opens to Discuss Economic Challenges

SANYA: Annual Boao Forum for Asia opened to discuss with world leaders challenges and uncertainties that Asia faces in the light of the global financial crisis. President Asif Ali Zardari arrived here on Friday to represent Pakistan at the forum. The President arrived here from Tokyo after chairing a meeting of the Friends of Pakistan and a Donors Conference hosted by Japan to help the country confront economic challenges it was facing, particularly in the backdrop of activities of extremists and militants.
The theme of this year’s event is Asia: Managing Beyond Crisis where over the next three days delegates are expected to debate and discuss the impact of the crisis on Asia and how the region can weather these challenges effectively.
The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), from April 17-19 in Boao, is a good opportunity for Asian nations to get together and think about strategies to deal with the current financial crisis, Pakistani’s Ambassador to China Masood Khan told the media team covering the President.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao delivered a keynote speech at Boao in the Hainan Province.
Apart from President Asif Zardari, the leaders who are attending the Boao Forum are Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe, Mongolian Prime Minister Sanj Bayar, Myanmar Prime Minister Thein Sein, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Michael Thomas Somare and Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand Korbsak Sabhavasu, Iran’s Vice President Parviz Davoudi, besides former U.S. President George W. Bush and former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda.