LI BaodongSecretary General, Boao Forum for Asia

Spring, the season when everything comes to life, also means that our annual conference is just around the corner. I warmly welcome everyone to Boao to share your ideas freely and discuss future development.

At the 2024 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference, held from March 26 to 29, Chinese and foreign political leaders, government officials, heads of international organizations, corporate representatives, experts and scholars, as well as the media will gather to analyze the state of Asian and world development, and to discuss priorities and key topics for the year ahead.

At present, the world faces a series of major challenges. The global economic recovery remains weak, and growth among different economies is markedly imbalanced. The short-term growth outlook for many developing countries is poor, with growing debt pressure among a number of low-income economies. The global situation remains in turmoil, marked by geopolitical tensions. We see no signs of an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict or the Israel-Palestine conflict in the near term. Extreme weather and natural disasters have become frequent occurrences. The gap between the international community’s commitments to overall emissions reduction and their actual goals is still quite wide. Achieving the UN’s 2030 sustainable development goals remains a challenge. The significant underlying risks of artificial intelligence have attracted much attention and led to intense discussion within the international community, with a pressing call for bolstering global governance.

We do note, however, that the world economy is gradually recovering from the pandemic on the whole. Continued technological advances have also significantly benefited the human race. Within the international community, forces advocating peace, stability, and development are increasing. Strengthening cooperation and pursuing common development is still the mainstream voice of international society.

Given the above context, “Asia and the World: Common Challenges, Shared Responsibilities” is the theme for the 2024 Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference. From the discussions at the annual conference, we hope to identify positives amid challenges, uncover positive energy, promote unity between Asia and the world, and enhance cooperation to spur development.

This year’s annual conference will feature four discussion modules with the following topics: “World Economy”, “Scientific and Technological Innovation”, “Social Development” and “International Cooperation”. Each topic will reflect the main theme, which is that unity promotes development. Through in-depth discussions of the different modules, we aim to demonstrate that meeting challenges head-on and sharing responsibilities are in the common interest of the international community, and are the inevitable choice for building a community with a shared future.

The “World Economy” module includes topics such as Global Economic Outlook, China’s Economic Outlook, Confronting Fragmentation in Global Trade, and Investing the Future Of Asia.

The “Scientific and Technological Innovation” module includes the Breakthrough Moment Of The Technological Revolution, AIGC Reshaping the World, Global AI Governance, Low-Carbon Energy Transformation, and other topics.

Topics for the “Social Development” module include Accelerating Climate Action, Carbon Pricing, Carbon Market and Carbon Tariffs, Making Companies More Innovative, and Envisioning an Age-Friendly Society, among others.

The “International Cooperation” module includes topics such as Global Geopolitical Outlook, Rise of the Global South, Deepening Financial Cooperation in Asia, Asia: Building an Epicentrum of Growth, and Supporting HighQuality Belt and Road Collaboration.

In addition, the annual conference will also feature roundtables for finance, culture, youth issues, and women’s issues, as well as a series of events such as dialogues with entrepreneurs.

The participants at the annual conference are political, business and academic elites, and are the best in their respective industries. We are thrilled to be able to provide a platform for all to speak freely, and to carry out in-depth exchanges. We firmly believe that we can overcome all challenges and hardships if we brainstorm and collaborate. Together, let’s meet the challenges facing the world today, and shoulder our responsibilities to build a bright future for Asia and the world!