The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), whose annual conference will be held from April 22 to 24 in Boao, a scenic coastal town in south China, has become an important think tank on Asian economic regionalization, Professor Yin Zhongyi told Xinhua in an interview.

Yin is the vice president of the Hainan-based China Reform and Development Institute, which participates in designing work for the BFA annual conference's themes.

The BFA mechanism, which was established four years ago, attracts Asian high-level officials, businessmen, and scholars as well as elites from other parts of the world every spring to discuss hot topics concerning regional and world economics and politics.

"We are trying to turn BFA into a place for high-level dialogues among government and business leaders and renowned scholars, so as to boost regional sustainable development and increase trade and investment opportunities in Asia," said Long Yongtu, BFA secretary-general.

The BFA's choosing of China as its base and a Chinese as its secretary-general shows that China shoulders its due international responsibility and decides to push forward the Asian economy along with its own booming economy, Long said.

China, which is an unselfish country, has adopted an opening-up policy and is willing to share the achievement made in its economic development with other countries, he said.

The theme of the BFA annual conference in 2002 was the world economic downturn after 9/11, Asian economic cooperation and recovery and China's accession to the World Trade Organization. In2003 the BFA annual conference discussed topics of Asian financial cooperation and security and the necessity of the launching of the future Asian yuan. In 2004 the forum discussed the procedures and obstacles in Asian economic regionalization.

The annual conference this year will enhance dialogue among entrepreneurs, and foster discussion about cooperation opportunities in Asian business circles.

Since private companies are the main impetus of Asian economic integration, this theme will make the BFA more attractive and more influential as an important think tank on Asian economic integration, experts said, suggesting that more experts and scholars should be invited to the BFA.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2005)