Hainan, China – The 2025 Boer Forum of Asia (BFA) Annual Conference held in Hainan Province, southern China, is attracting global attention.
Government officials, business leaders and academics around the world spoke at the BFA subforum on Tuesday, calling for stronger cooperation between Asian countries.
Speaking at the Global Free Trade Port Development Forum, Ban Ki-Moon, chairman of the BFA and former UN chief president, said the event, both at the event and at the participation level, serves as strong evidence of the importance of free trade and globalization.
He said that while world trade is not yet 100% free, it has significantly expanded the global economic pie and freed hundreds of millions of people from poverty and difficulties. The ban added that the global future revolves around how open and inclusive economies are. The former UN chief said this underscores the undeniable importance and advantages of free trade.
Two panel discussions were held alongside the BFA. There, speakers proposed unilateral criticism, which was criticized as progress in multilateralism.
BFA vice-president Zhou Xiaochuan also won the podium. He said political, security, economic and technological factors are intertwined and interacting, presenting new challenges for the international order.
Zhou called on Asian countries to promote regional economic integration and shape an inclusive and equitable form of economic globalization. He emphasized that these countries need to unite in unilateral protection and trade protectionism that they oppose, and support true multilateralism.
Hainan Governor Li Xiaoming also spoke to participants. He said Hainan is striving to create an internationalized, first-class business environment based on market-oriented laws with the aim of promoting the implementation of its policy of low zero tariffs, low corporate and individual income taxes.
John Lee Kachu, chief executive of Hong Kong Special Management Region, described Boao as a beacon of dialogue and cooperation.
Two panel discussions were also held on Tuesday about BFA bystanders. Meanwhile, speakers sought to promote multilateralism, particularly denounced the one-sided approach the United States pursued.
Preliminary statistics show that this year’s annual conference attracted around 2,000 participants from over 60 countries and regions, plus more than 1,100 journalists representing nearly 150 media organizations in dozens of countries and regions.
The BFA’s 2025 annual conference, which began on Tuesday, will continue through Friday under the theme of “Asia in a Changing World: Toward a Shared Future.”
According to the official BFA website, this year’s forum aims to develop, promote, explore innovative forms, explore valuable forms of results, and promote international development and collaboration. The BFA also states that the theme is aimed at reinvigorating multilateralism.