At the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) will host BFA Ulaanbaatar Conference for the first time from August 19 to 20, 2019, in the best season of Mongolia with tall grass and beautiful weather.

This is the second overseas conference held by BFA in Asia this year following the Manila Conference. What highlihgts to expect when BFA meets Ulaanbaatar? Here are 3 keywords that can offer you a quick preview.

The first keyword is “development”. As the unilateralism and protectionism rising, and the global economy slowing down, the international community needs to uphold and advocate multilateralism more than ever. Asia is the most economically dynamic part of the world, but it is also a region characterized by unbalanced development and many sensitive issues. Cooperation among Asian countries and their development are vital to regional stability and prosperity. After BFA called for maintaining multilateralism and free trade at its Annual Conference, it will venture into, at the request of the Mongolian government, the hinterland of Asia to build a new open and inclusive platform for win-win cooperation, helping Mongolia develop its economy by leveraging its resources. Together with Mongolia, BFA is committed to promoting free trade and multilateral cooperation for common development and prosperity.

Again, the Ulaanbaatar Conference will be held around the theme of “Concerted Action for Common Development in the New Era”, the overarching theme of BFA’s overseas conferences. BAN Ki-moon, Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia and former Secretary-General of the United Nations, will deliver a keynote speech on this theme.

The second keyword is “cooperation”. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of China-Mongolia diplomatic relations, the 25th anniversary of the amendment to the Treaty on Friendship and Cooperation between China and Mongolia, and the 5th anniversary of the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between China and Mongolia. In April this year, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Mongolian President Khaltmaagiin Battulga who was on a state visit to China, which has clearly directed the long-term development of bilateral relations, and upgraded China-Mongolia economic and trade cooperation to a new level. This memorable year will also see the opening of BFA Ulaanbaatar Conference in honor of China-Mongolia friendship. Capturing this significant historic opportunity of the 70th anniversary of China-Mongolia diplomatic ties, the conference will carry out the important consensus reached by the two leaders to build a platform for optimizing the bilateral trade structure, tapping the potential of investment and cooperation, and promoting pragmatic cooperation between the two countries.

Damdin TSOGTBAATAR, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, LI Baodong, Secretary-General of BFA, XING Haiming, Chinese Ambassador to Mongolia, Armida Salsiah ALISJAHBANA, Executive Secretary of the UN ESCAP, Byambasaikhan BAYANJARGAL, Chairman, The Business Council of Mongolia, and MENG Xiaosu, Vice-President, China International Council for the Promotion of Multinational Corporations, will attend and address the conference. Sessions such as “Business Opportunities: Investment Climate in Mongolia”, “Business Leaders Dialogue Face-to-Face”, and “Mongolian Enterprises Visiting” will bring together leading enterprises from China and Mongolia and tap cooperation potentials.

The third keyword is “alignment”. “Belt and Road” is a significant international cooperation initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. Under the new situation, this increasingly influential initiative has attracted a wide range of partners around the world, with a greater international cooperation potential generated from the development needs of participating countries for infrastructure connectivity, industrial investment and other areas. In positive response to and support of the “Belt and Road” initiative, the President and Prime Minister of Mongolia have attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation respectively, meanwhile the international cooperation on the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor keeps gaining progress. In the new era, BFA desires to help align Mongolia’s “Development Road” with the “Belt and Road” to promote more tangible results from the tripartite economic corridor, hence contributing to regional connectivity and cooperation.

The interactive parallel sessions will discuss topics such as “New direction: Aligning with ‘Belt and Road’ & ‘Development Road’”, “Connectivity: Expanding horizons into regional cooperation”, and “Common goal: Green development”. The vision of this conference is to build consensus and provide intellectual support for Mongolia to better align its development strategy with regional initiatives, and ensure the stable and sustainable cooperation along the “Belt and Road” routes to benefit local and regional people.