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The opening ceremony of the 2013 Boao Forum for Asia will
begin Sunday morning. The forum is being held in Boao, a coastal town in
southern China’s Hainan province. Chinese President Xi Jinping will
deliver a key-note speech at the opening ceremony. Full Story>>
For more on the Boao forum, we are joined in the studio by Joseph
Pelzman, Professor of Economics and Law at George Washington University,
and Professor Fu Jun from the School of Government at Peking
University.
Q1, The theme of the 2013 Boao Forum for Asia is "Asia Seeking
Development for All: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation".
What message can we take from that? What influence will this forum exert
on Asian economies and world economies?
Q2, The Secretary General of the Boao Forum, Zhou Wenzhong, said this
year’s forum will focus on "restructuring" in a more sustainable and
innovative way. In regards to "restructuring", what topics are expected
to be discussed?
Q3, What major concerns will this year’s forum address?
Q4, Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the
opening ceremony of the forum. In your opinion, what will be the big
message he will deliver to the Asia-Pacific region?
Q5, The Asian economic integration has accelerated in recent years,
thanks to Asian economies being highly interdependent in trade and
investment. At the 2013 Boao Forum for Asia, more than 50 panel
discussions will be held to offer suggestions on regional development.
How important is cooperation for Asian economies?
Q6, In addition to economic issues, this year’s agenda also includes
topics concerning people’s livelihood, such as property, education,
health, and food safety. What can we expect regarding such issues?
Q7, What’s the distinguishing feature of this year’s forum, compared with previous ones?
Q8, The international economic backdrop to this year’s forum remains
negative--particularly in developed countries suffering from the
economic downturn. In light of this, what outcome can we expect from
this year’s forum?
Q9, Highlights of this year’s forum include a newly set up of Africa
panel, a Latin America panel. What’s the significance of these new
panels?
Q10, The Boao Forum for Asia was launched in 2001 as a platform for
high-level leaders from government, business and academic circles to
discuss pressing global and regional issues. After more than a decade,
how important is the forum now becoming on the global arena?
During the three-day forum, April 6- 8 leaders from government, business and
academic circles will be able to choose from 50 panel discussions. What
will they talk about? What can be expected?
Boao Forum for Asia is all about dialogue. The talks will take the
form of sub-forums, round-table discussions, and closed door meetings.
In some cases, guests will even be able to have private talks with big names like Bill Gates.
President Xi Jinping is expected to have a one-hour talk with 30 entrepreneurs from around the world.
Organizers say topics of discussions this year illustrate the forum’s global vision.
Yao Wang, head of Research Inst., Boao Forum for Asia, said, "For the
first time, we will set up sub-forums for Africa, Latin America and
Europe. Such a design shows the Boao Forum for Asia is getting more and
more international."
In addition to macroeconomic issues like the debt crisis and monetary
policy, topics concerning people’s daily lives -- such as education,
health, tourism, and the Internet -- will also be addressed.
Most of panel discussions will last anywhere from 45 minutes to one hour and a half. During the busiest time slot, guests will be able to choose from five seperate talks.
The International Monetary Fund said on Thursday that its Managing
Director Christina Lagarde will visit China in April to attend the
upcoming annual Boao Forum for Asia.
Lagarde will be traveling to
China's Hainan Province on April 6- 8 to attend the Boao Forum, IMF
spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters at a regular news briefing.
He added that Lagarde will meet with government officials of China and other Asian countries during her stay.
This
year's Boao Forum for Asia, one of Asia's biggest annual economic
meetings, will be held under the theme of "Asia Seeking Development for
All: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation ". More than 10 state
and government leaders from Asia and other regions will be invited to
the three-day forum, which will begin on April 6 in Boao, a coastal town
in south China's Hainan Province.
In 2012, more than 2,000 government, business and academic leaders from around the world attended the meeting.
Started on Sunday, the three-day forum is being held in Boao, a scenic town on the eastern coast of Hainan.
It introduces a wide range of topics,
including eurozone debt crises, employment and growth, the reform of the
international monetary system as well as the strategic breakthrough of
Asian manufacturing.
The Boao Forum for Asia is a non-governmental and non-profit international organization founded in 2001.
It has been committed to promoting regional economic integration and bringing Asian countries closer to their development goals.