Ban Ki-moon, Chairman of the Boao Forum for Asia and the eighth Secretary-General of the United Nations, on Thursday called upon leaders from Asia and around the globe to step forward, speak the truth to power and take decisive actions to shape the future through words and deeds, and to live up to the high expectation of the people.
He said this at the the formal inauguration of annual conference of the Forum for Asia held in the resort town of Boao, located in the southern Chinese province of Hainan.
This year's theme has bern set as “Asia and the World: Common Challenges, Shared Responsibilities.”
Ban Ki-moon reviewed the challenges facing the world today and encouraged the participants to think about reality with a dialectical perspective and to collectively create the future through responsible actions.
1, 333 more city and union land offices to be constructed across country: Land Minister
Saying that the urgent climate crisis has led to a historic consensus at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, he said that the reality requires the world to take more effective actions to make further progress.
He expressed concern about the uncertain trends in geo-political and geo-economic spheres, as well as the restructuring of global supply, trade, and investment flows, while inclusive globalisation is being sacrificed.
Recalling his years of work at the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon mentioned that he has witnessed both good times and difficult period. In the "good times," the world enjoyed the benefits of global peace dividends and rapid globalisation, while in the "bad days," the world was divided into opposing camps and blocs.
"Under no circumstances should we return to the "lbad days, and the only way forward is unity, cooperation, multilateralism, globalisation, and an open world economy," he emphasised.
Ban Ki-moon stated that global crises have compelled all to work together. "We face common challenges and should share responsibility," he added
Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, Zhao Leji, attended the opening plenary of the four-day conference and delivered a keynote speech.
On the other jand, the top legislator of China called for solidarity and cooperation to meet challenges and work together to create a better future for Asia and the world.
The world today is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, and global peace and development face grave challenges, Zhao said.
He added that facing the question of the times regarding the direction the world should take, China's answer is to work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity.
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Nauru David W.R. Adeang, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit, Prime Minister of Cambodia Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Daren Tang, and Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann attended the annual conference.
Li Baodong, secretary general of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), presided over the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum for Asia' annual conference.
NHRC chairman: Responsible for electrocution of six members of a family must be punished
This year’s event is focusing on how the international community can work together to deal with challenges and shoulder responsibilities.
The annual meeting sets up four major sections: "World Economy," "Technological Innovation," "Social Development," and "International Cooperation," totaling dozens of topics. Each section's topics will reflect the theme of unity and development, seeking evidence through in-depth discussions on various issues.
The mission of the BFA is to gather positive energy for the development of Asia and the world to promote economic integration in Asia.
Hainan Province, also known as “Qiong”, is located at the southernmost tip of China. With its tropical coastal view and first-class ecological quality, Hainan has long been a renowned tourist destination in China.
On June 1, 2020, the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the Master Plan for the Development of Hainan Free Trade Port, entrusting Hainan with a new and historic mission to build a free trade port (FTP) with Chinese characteristics. In 2023, the provincial GDP was up by 9.2 percent, the second highest growth rate in China.