Boao Asia Forum Report: Asian Economy Continues to Demonstrate Strong Resilience with Positive Trends and Prospects

Boao Asia Forum Secretary-General Zhang Jun Introduces the 2026 Annual Meeting

Source: Boao Asia Forum

On the morning of March 24, 2026, the Boao Asia Forum held a press conference for the 2026 Annual Meeting. Secretary-General Zhang Jun introduced the event details.

Zhang Jun stated that the Boao Asia Forum always focuses on Asia with a global perspective, dedicated to promoting Asian economic integration, fostering exchanges and cooperation among regional countries and the rest of the world, enhancing understanding and trust, and achieving mutual benefits. The annual meeting is the forum’s most important platform for dialogue and exchange. This year’s meeting has several notable features:

First, the annual meeting has received high attention from all parties. Overall, this year’s event is of high standard, broad scope, and strong representation. Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China, will attend and deliver a keynote speech at the plenary session. Leaders from various countries, forum directors, and business representatives will meet and hold discussions to explore ideas and measures for strengthening cooperation and creating opportunities. Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Azerbaijani Parliament Chairwoman Sahiba Gafarova, Sri Lankan Speaker of Parliament Wickramaratne, and Kazakhstan’s First Deputy Prime Minister Sklyar will also attend, deliver speeches, or participate in discussions. Additionally, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will deliver a speech via video at the plenary session. According to statistics, about 2,000 delegates from over 60 countries and regions, along with more than 1,100 journalists from approximately 150 media outlets, will cover the event. Besides national leaders, participants include forum directors, senior advisors, ministers and high-ranking officials, former politicians, heads of international and regional organizations, as well as numerous business leaders and scholars. This fully demonstrates the influential and attractive nature of the Boao Asia Forum as a high-level dialogue platform and reflects a strong collective desire to address challenges, create development opportunities, and promote pragmatic cooperation.

Second, the theme of the annual meeting is clear and aims to jointly shape the future. The theme this year is “Shaping a Shared Future: New Trends, New Opportunities, New Cooperation.” Currently, the world is undergoing profound changes, facing many severe challenges and uncertainties. Where is the world headed? This is a major question confronting everyone. Asia bears an important mission and plays a key role in promoting global economic growth, leading global economic transformation, and improving global governance. Many believe that the “Asian Century” has arrived. The message conveyed through this meeting is that while the world faces major upheavals filled with challenges, there are also new opportunities. All parties should strengthen confidence, follow the right direction, work together to meet challenges, turn challenges into opportunities, achieve win-win cooperation, and jointly build a better future and a community with a shared human destiny.

Third, the meeting will focus on major issues and prominent challenges in global and regional economic and social development. The topics are mainly organized around four areas:

1. Grasp global trends and lead development directions. Topics include injecting certainty into an uncertain world, investing in the future, the role of Southern countries in improving global economic governance, Asia’s leadership in global economic transformation, new patterns of global trade amid tariff conflicts, challenges and prospects of global climate governance, and maintaining common economic security. Discussions are expected to foster consensus and confidence, injecting more certainty and positive energy into a turbulent world.

2. Deepen regional cooperation and stimulate strong vitality. Topics include unleashing RCEP’s potential, revitalizing APEC towards the vision of an Asia-Pacific community, promoting renewable energy cooperation in Asia, building diversified cross-border payment systems, safeguarding financial security and stability, and strengthening cooperation among regional organizations. Under new circumstances, regional cooperation is more important and urgent. The forum will explore how to advance regional integration, enhance connectivity in key areas, and support the development of an open, stable, and inclusive regional economy.

3. Promote transformation and innovation to unlock development potential. Topics include digital empowerment for industrial upgrading, advances in humanoid robots, implementing sustainable development goals, accelerating green transformation, the future of AI + health, developing blue economy, and advocating long-term value investment. The global economy is undergoing profound transformation. The forum will analyze frontier trends, explore cooperation opportunities and action paths, and enhance economic resilience and growth momentum.

4. Strengthen partnerships and achieve inclusive development. In the context of a century of change and deep transformation, enterprises face many challenges in investment decisions, global deployment, and sustainable development. Topics for discussion include AI applications in enterprises, shaping corporate futures amid transformation, reinterpreting ESG, and responsibilities of young entrepreneurs. Various entrepreneur dialogues will also be held, aiming to help the business community better understand global transformation trends, promote industrial cooperation, and enhance long-term competitiveness, providing valuable insights and practical references.

Zhang Jun emphasized that China’s development prospects remain a key focus for forum participants. This year marks the start of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan and the first year since Hainan Province, the forum’s host, implemented a free trade port with customs closure. Topics such as “China’s Economic Outlook” and “Invest in China, Share the Future,” along with a global free trade port development forum, will be discussed. These discussions will help guests better understand China and Hainan, and seize new opportunities for investment and win-win cooperation.

Zhang Jun pointed out that the event arrangements are diverse and content-rich. Over 50 activities are scheduled, forming a multi-layered, three-dimensional dialogue layout, reflecting professionalism, internationalization, and openness. These can be categorized into four types:

1. Plenary sessions, the largest in scale, mainly listening to speeches by leaders and sharing their insights.
2. High-level dialogues, focusing on injecting certainty into an uncertain world and investing in the future, involving vice premiers and other important guests.
3. Sub-forums and roundtables, the most numerous, covering a wide range of topics, with over 270 participants including government officials, entrepreneurs, experts, scholars, and youth representatives, demonstrating strong representation.
4. Media-focused activities such as press conferences and report releases, mainly to introduce conference updates and publish reports.

The annual meeting schedule has been released, and the Boao Forum will also use the platform to promptly announce event arrangements. In addition to scheduled activities, there will be numerous bilateral meetings, and the forum will strive to facilitate networking among delegates. The forum hopes that in-depth discussions on frontier issues will inspire thinking, build consensus, explore solutions, and promote pragmatic cooperation.

Regarding the current tensions in the Middle East, Zhang Jun said that due to the situation, some key guests are unable to attend the Boao Asia Forum. We understand this. In the context of profound shifts in the global landscape and regional conflicts spilling over, we call on all parties to immediately cease fire, return to diplomatic negotiations, and jointly maintain global peace and stability, creating a favorable environment for the world economy and development.

At the same press conference, Secretary-General Zhang Jun also released two flagship reports of the forum. One is “Asia Economic Outlook and Integration Process,” and the other is “Sustainable Asia and the World.” Publishing flagship reports during the annual meeting is a long-standing tradition of the forum. Zhang Jun stated that the world is in a century of change, with turbulence and transformation coexisting, opportunities and challenges intertwined. Confronted with various issues, the Boao Asia Forum is actively analyzing and collaborating with partners, and many of its insights are contained within these two reports.

The reports show that despite numerous challenges, Asia’s economy remains resilient, showing positive trends and prospects, and making significant contributions to the global economy, trade, and sustainable development. The forum believes that in the current situation, multilateralism, economic globalization, and sustainable development still possess strong vitality. Openness, cooperation, and win-win development remain the best interests of all parties. In response to unilateralism and protectionism, regionalization and diversification are practical choices. We should adhere to open development, stay on the right path, accelerate regional economic integration, and build an open, inclusive, and mutually beneficial global economic and trade pattern. We should strengthen digital empowerment, driven by innovation, to discover new growth drivers and enhance economic resilience. We should vigorously promote green transformation, invest in the future and people, and pursue high-quality sustainable development. We should continue improving cooperation frameworks, enhance regional economic integration, and provide stronger mechanisms for regional development. We should deepen connectivity, ensure supply chain security, and use our certainty to counter external uncertainties. We should actively promote inclusive development, strengthen capacity building, and reduce regional disparities. We should build comprehensive partnerships, work together to address global challenges, and create a shared bright future.

Zhang Jun stated that the process of Asian economic integration and sustainable development will inevitably face many difficulties and challenges. However, as long as all parties remain confident, united, and courageous, they can further promote high-quality development of Asia’s economy and create a new development pattern supporting the “Asian Century.”