Asia forum to focus on reform and growth
Boao conference organisers say region must find new ways of driving its economies amid sluggish global demand and rising costs
Asia needs to find new ways to drive growth amid a sluggish global economy, according to the secretary general of the Boao Forum.
Countries including China have seen the pace of growth slow, and reform and new ideas were needed to drive economies forward, Zhou Wenzhong told Xinhua.
That topic will be the focus of the annual forum on Hainan island that starts today with discussions and speeches by business leaders and politicians focusing on innovation, reform and sustainable development.
Highlights include a keynote address by Premier Li Keqiang on China's reform programme.
Observers will be watching to see if Li meets Vincent Siew Wan-chang, a former vice-president of Taiwan who leads a delegation from the island.
If Li did hold talks with Siew, the two were likely to discuss "in principle" the cross-strait services trade pact that has prompted student-led protests in Taiwan, but they probably would not go into details, said Yang Lixian , a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Taiwan Studies.
But Liu Guoshen , head of Xiamen University's Taiwan Research Institute, said the two were likely to have a direct conversation about the issue as it has had a major impact on cross-strait ties.