Fidel V. Ramos, Chairman of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) and former President of the Philippines, said on Friday that the forum aims to develop the "five Es" over the next five years.

The five Es are economic integration of Asia, energy development, empowerment of the people, efficiency and expansion of membership.

To promote the economic integration process of Asia is one of the major missions of the forum, Ramos said.

The development of energy must be sustainable and the BFA will endeavor to balance the demand for energy, which has been rising in the United States, the European Union, and major Asian developing countries such as China and India, and the supply of oil, gas and water resources, Ramos explained.

"The most important thing is to make sure that we do not abuse the world's resources," he said.

Referring to the empowerment of the people, especially those poor and disadvantaged, he said, "The aim of BFA is to improve the availability of medical resources, houses, clean water and development opportunities for those people."

In terms of efficiency, he said it is to reduce and eliminate corruption for Asian governments, and for enterprises, it is to improve business efficiency.

The BFA saw its founding membership list expand to 28 countries from the original 26 with the participation of New Zealand and Israel.

To include the two non-Asian countries in the forum demonstrates the international perspective of the BFA, said Ramos.

Since it was founded in 2001, BFA has made achievements in some other "E"s, including environmental protection, energy development, and education, said Ramos.

Source: Xinhua