Boao Forum for Asia to convene 2025 conference on March 25-28

China

Boao Forum for Asia to convene 2025 conference on March 25-28

2025-01-09 02:23 Last Updated At：06:27

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 will be held from March 25 to 28 in Boao, south China's Hainan Province, BFA Secretary General Zhang Jun said at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.

With the theme "Asia in the changing World: Towards a shared Future," this year's event will focus on development, foster dialogue, explore innovative formats, and value tangible outcomes, all aimed at promoting international development and cooperation, Zhang said. He said the theme is intended to reinvigorate multilateralism, promote openness and development, jointly respond to global challenges, and carry out the commitments of the UN Summit of the Future while focusing on the development of Asia.

Many heads of international and regional organizations, ministerial-level officials, entrepreneurs of Fortune Global 500, and renowned experts and scholars have already confirmed their participation in the annual conference, Zhang said.

He said the event will focus on four subject areas: building trust and promoting cooperation in a fast-changing world; re-balancing globalization for inclusive development; accelerating the Sustainable Development Goals for more effective responses to global challenges; and strengthening AI application and governance for innovation-driven development.

Discussions will also be held on topics related to AI application and governance, as well as the exploration of measures to bridge the digital divide and improve digital connectivity through digital capacity building.

"During the BFA Annual Conference, we will discuss a series of topics, like how to build an open global economy, how to strengthen global governance after the UN Summit of the Future, how to strengthen inter-civilization dialogue and enhance mutual understanding and trust, how to create an environment for peaceful development and maintain common economic security, and how the Global South countries march together toward modernization," said Zhang. Starting this year, the BFA annual meeting will also propose special events to be held in different countries to provide more opportunities for countries to explore cooperation with other participants, according to Zhang.

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) was founded in 2001 and offers a platform for dialogue between leaders from government, business, academia and other organizations to discuss economic, social and environmental issues, promote economic cooperation and support the sustainable development of Asia's economy.

Tensions escalate as IDF operations continue in Gaza, West Bank

Ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza and the West Bank have led to multiple deaths, arrests, and rising tensions, as both sides report violence and economic fallout.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a statement on Monday, saying that during operations in the southern Gaza Strip that day, IDF troops killed three "militants" who had crossed the "yellow line" of the military ceasefire. The statement added that IDF forces would remain deployed in the area and would continue operations to eliminate threats.

On the same day, the Palestinian Ministry of the Interior in the Gaza Strip issued a statement saying that Mahmoud Al-Astal, head of the police investigation department in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, was shot and killed. According to sources, Al-Astal was a key member of the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). A Palestinian armed group in Gaza, backed by Israel, claimed responsibility for the shooting on Monday.

According to a report by the official Palestinian news agency on Monday, Israeli forces continued their raids across several areas of the West Bank and around Jerusalem, arresting more than 20 Palestinian residents and injuring one person. In some areas, the Israeli forces also conducted house searches, imposed roadblocks, and leveled farmland. Meanwhile, large numbers of Israeli Jewish settlers, under the protection of the Israeli military, entered Palestinian farmlands to graze livestock, damage olive trees, and assault Palestinian shepherds while attempting to seize animals, leading to clashes with local residents.

The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture released a comprehensive report on Monday, saying that in 2025, the agricultural sector in the West Bank suffered systematic attacks by Israeli forces and Israeli Jewish settlers, resulting in direct economic losses exceeding 103 million U.S. dollars, an intensity rarely seen in recent years.