A Convergence of Thoughts On Asian Development

On March 22-25， the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2016 was held in south Chinas Hainan Province. As this years theme—Asias New Future： New Dynamics and New Vision—suggests， participants sought to develop Asia and expressed the regions eagerness to pursue new changes. It also showed that Asias elites are exploring new paths toward a brighter future.

As an important platform for talks between political and business leaders， the conferences turnout was encouraging. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang delivered a keynote speech at the forum， and organizers invited ministerial-level officials from both major and emerging economies and frontier markets to participate in various sub-forums. There were more than 80 sessions of discussion during the event， involving topics such as macroeconomics， innovation， social well-being improvement， inter-civilization exchanges and the Internet Plus strategy， which is the application of information technology in conventional industries. It was an unprecedented range of topics in the Boao Forums 15-year history.

Although it has been eight years since the outbreak of the global financial crisis in 2008， its deep impact lingers.

The global economy is still undergoing profound adjustments. The recovery of developed economies such as the United States and the EU is still fragile. Economic trends differ among emerging economies： Some have kept a relatively rapid growth rate， while others are experiencing a downturn. Global trade is shrinking， and international commodity prices as well as the financial markets continue to fluctuate.

Asia has more room for balanced development. Many Asian economies face a number of challenges， including a decline in exports， debt expansion， economic growth slowdown， currency depreciation and accelerated capital outflow. They are enduring a difficult time， and there is an urgent need for an extensive exchange of views in this region. Given this context， the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2016 serves a historical purpose.

Opinions were gathered and a consensus was reached at this years conference. It still needs the joint effort of governments and people from all walks of life to turn the result into impetus for the economic and social development of Asia. Discussions and dialogues are not enough. To build a better future， we need to turn the convergence of thoughts into concrete deeds.