HAIKOU /China/, March 21. /TASS/. The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) has scheduled two segments devoted to the development of the southern Chinese province of Hainan. This was reported by the BAF Secretariat.

According to the program, the two segments will be held on the second day of the Forum, March 29. One of them is called "Hainan Dialogue", the other "Global Free Trade Ports Development Forum".

The first of these events will focus on strengthening cooperation in tropical agriculture between Hainan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Participants will discuss opportunities for forming effective production chains and trade and investment issues.

The second event will include discussions on enhancing interaction between free trade zones and ports. The guests of the forum also plan to address the development of practical cooperation based on the mechanism of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.

The organizers also announced that BFA will hold a press conference on Hainan province on the same day.

The Boao Forum for Asia is held regularly since 2001 and has 29 participating countries (Asia-Pacific countries). It did not take place in 2020 because of the pandemic, but in 2021 and 2022 it was organized in a in-person format, and this time it will be held March 28-31. The BFA is called the Eastern Davos - it is a major platform for signing agreements, coordinating positions between representatives of business and government circles in Asia and other regions of the world. 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 Beijing's international contacts.