Boao Forum helps build consensus on global development, observers say – Xinhua
Photo taken on April 19, 2022 shows the Boao Forum Asia International Conference Center (BFA) in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
Andrew Forrest, chairman of Australian iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), said Boao provided a vital platform to further strengthen Australia’s trade and political relationship with Asia, and was also a key important part of FMG’s engagement with China and all of Asia.
BEIJING, April 23 (Xinhua) — The 2022 Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) annual conference that concluded on Friday was closely watched by businessmen and scholars around the world, as the global economy desperately needs momentum and certainty.
Many of them highlighted the importance of Boao’s discussions on Asia and the global economy, as well as global challenges, saying the forum helps build consensus and chart a blueprint for global governance on Sustainable development.
Andrew Forrest, chairman of Australian iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), said Boao provided a vital platform to further strengthen Australia’s trade and political relationship with Asia, and was also a key important part of FMG’s engagement with China and all of Asia.
“FMG’s success and that of the Australian economy is built on the great power that is Asia. Now, more than ever, these strong trading relationships provide economic stability as we work together to create new opportunities for the future,” Forrest said.
Sudheendra Kulkarni, former chairman of the Mumbai-based Observer Research Foundation think tank, said finding common ground and common solutions to global problems is “the only way forward”.
Photo taken on April 19, 2022 shows the Boao Forum Asia International Conference Center (BFA) in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Yang Guanyu)
“Unfortunately, Western countries fail to grasp the importance of global cooperation, using one pretext or another…trying to put obstacles in the way of globalization and global cooperation,” he said. he said, adding that to promote growth, the world must accelerate globalization instead of pushing it back.
“Protectionism and unilateralism are negative forces that undermine small economies, hinder their development and deepen poverty,” said Joseph Matthews, senior professor at BELTEI International University in Phnom Penh.
Matthews added that China’s countless efforts to promote economic development through programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are key to boosting the global economy and free trade.
Cavince Adhere, an international relations specialist based in Kenya, said cooperation under the BRI has become a path of cooperation, health, recovery and growth for countries along the roads.
In Kenya, BRI projects have provided jobs for local people despite economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Adhere added. ■
