2013 Boao Forum to focus on 'restructuring'

The 2013 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) will focus on "restructuring" in a more sustainable and innovative way, BFA Secretary-General Zhou Wenzhong said on Friday.

Under the theme of "Asia Seeking Development for All: Restructuring, Responsibility and Cooperation," this year's forum concentrates on topics relating to "restructuring" as economists from home and abroad have been invited to discuss China's reform in the past three decades, as well as in the next ten to 15 years.

"The forum provides a platform for high-level leaders from government, business and academic circles to discuss pressing global and regional issues in Asia," Zhou said.

He said the forum is intended to promote the Asian tradition of seeking win-win results, as well as help regional economies look for common ground, transcend differences and pursue common development.

More than 10 state and government leaders from Asia and other regions have been invited to the three-day forum, which will be held from April 6 to April 8 in Boao, a coastal town in south China's Hainan Province.

Highlights of this year's forum includes a newly set up Africa panel and Latin America panel.

President of the Republic of Zambia, Michael Chilufya Sata, Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto and Peru's president Ollanta Humala will share experiences on transformation and innovation, and also reflect on development paths of their own.

"The setup of those panels is an innovation in this year's forum as it reflects the trend of globalization and the common ground on which developing countries should work together to seek development," said Zhang Xiaokang, a high-profile official with Asia Europe Meeting, an inter-regional forum.

The Boao forum will also cover topics concerning people's daily life such as property, Internet, health and urbanization, to name a few.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the forum.

A non-governmental and non-profit international organization founded in 2001, the BFA works to promote regional economic integration and bring Asian countries closer to their development goals.