The upcoming Asian forum in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, will be a success in promoting economic exchanges and cooperation among Asian countries, Ajit Singh, pre-term secretary general of the forum said.
The "Boao Forum for Asia" will formally start next Tuesday in Boao, a town about 160 kilometers south of Haikou, capital of Hainan province. Some 500 current and former government officials and celebrities are expected to attend the first session of the forum.
The forum will be a place for economic exchanges and cooperation and the common prosperity of Asia, said Singh in an exclusive interview with Xinhua.
Investment, trade and economic links within Asia have increased remarkably, and the trade volume among Asian countries now account for about 45 percent of all the foreign trade volume of Asia, he said.
The Boao forum will be the first high-level dialog among all the Asian countries compared with the existing forums like the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), he said.
(Xinhua 02/24/2001)
