Asian countries should deepen co-operation and pursue a more sustainable pattern of development, Vice-President Xi Jinping said yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Boao Forum.
The nations should further open up to each other and firmly oppose all forms of protectionism, Xi said in the keynote speech.
The forum has been held in the southern province of Hainan annually since 2001.
It is designed to draw together the region's political and business elite, with a view rivalling the influence of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum.
The forum this year elected former US treasury secretary Henry Paulson and former Japanese prime minister Yasuo Fukuda as members of the board of directors. Other newly elected members include former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, former Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin and Singapore senior minister Goh Chok Tong.
Under the forum theme 'Green Recovery: Asia's Realistic Choice for Sustainable Growth', Xi said China has been working 'actively and seriously' to tackle climate change and develop the capacity to respond to it.
'We have joined global actions to tackle climate change with the utmost resolve and a most active attitude, and have acted in line with the United Nations' principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,' Xi said.