Boao Forum for Asia to be held in-person despite pandemic
The exact date of the forum has not been set yet
BEIJING, Jan. 12. /TASS/. The Boao Forum of Asia (BFA), held annually on the eastern part of Hainan Island, will be held in offline as well as online in 2022, despite the pandemic. BFA Secretary General Li Baodong announced this on Wednesday.
"This year's event will again be held mainly in person and will be supplemented with an online format," he told a news conference. "Due to the pandemic, the date of the forum has not yet been determined. We are currently discussing this with the Government of the People's Republic of China, the country organizer, as well as coordinating with the authorities of the participating countries, taking into account the plans of their leaders."
According to the Secretary General, the forum's main themes in 2022 include digitalization of the world economy, exchange of international experience to counteract large-scale epidemics, promotion of environmentally sustainable development, global governance issues, strengthening of cooperation between Asian countries, and other states. "In 2022, the BFA will definitely take place and we believe it will be a success," Li Baodong summed up.
The Boao Forum of Asia has been regularly held in Hainan since 2001 and has 29 participating countries (Asia-Pacific nations). It did not take place in 2020 because of the pandemic, but in 2021 it was organized in a face-to-face format.
The Boao Forum of Asia has been regularly held in Hainan since 2001 and has 29 participating countries (Asia-Pacific nations). It did not take place in 2020 because of the pandemic, but in 2021 it was organized in a face-to-face format. The BFA is called the Eastern Davos: it is a major platform for signing important agreements, coordinating aspects between representatives of business and government circles of Asian countries and all other regions of the world. The Chinese authorities pay great attention to its development and consider this mechanism an effective instrument of soft diplomacy, which promotes the activation and strengthening of international contacts in Beijing.