Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Donald Tsang will leave for China's southernmost province of Hainan on Thursday to attend the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2006, the HKSAR government's information services department said Tuesday.

Leading a delegation of government officials and local business leaders, Tsang will address a luncheon of the forum on Saturday after attending the forum's opening ceremony.

Tsang will return to Hong Kong next Monday. During Tsang's absence, Chief Secretary for Administration Rafael Hui will be the Acting Chief Executive of HKSAR.

Founded by 26 Asian countries in 2001, Boao Forum for Asia has become an annual platform for communication and cooperation between Asian countries and regions with the theme of the 2006 conference being slated as "Asia Searching for Win-Win: New Opportunities for Asia".

Source: Xinhua