Boao Forum expected to be largest onsite intl forum since outbreak

China will hold the largest onsite international forum in mid-April since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, as the virus has been controlled domestically. The event is expected to call on cooperation of Asian countries and reshape global growth in the post-pandemic era.   

The 2021 Annual Conference of the Boao Forum for Asia is to be held from April 18 to 21 in Boao, a coastal county in South China's Hainan province. The theme of the annual conference is set as " A World in Change: Join Hands to Strengthen Global Governance and Advance Belt and Road Cooperation", its organizers said at a media conference on Tuesday.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the forum. As the organizers expect, it will be the world's first large-scale, onsite international conference with about 2,000 participants, thanks to the effective prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic by the host country.

According to Li Baodong, the forum's secretary-general, two Chinese state leaders will attend the conference and one will address the opening ceremony online. The other leader will participate onsite in a series of events, including a symposium for entrepreneurs from China and the United States.

Many other state leaders of foreign countries, former politicians and heads of international organizations, as well as a large number of guests from politics, business and academia, can join the conference online or onsite.