Long Yongtu, Secretary General of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), has announced that this year's BFA Annual Conference will be held from April 20 to 22, in the scenic town of Boao, in China's southernmost Hainan Province.

Long said a new topic for this year's conference was the integration of the Middle East and South Asia subcontinent into the Asian economy.

Pakistan had proposed a special session to highlight its role in connecting the Middle East to other parts of Asia, Long said, adding Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was to attend the annual conference.

Long said that without the participation of Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, there would be no full and comprehensive cooperation in Asia.

Asia Winning in Today's Global Economy-Innovation and Sustainable Development was set as the theme for the conference after a careful review by a panel of stakeholders, including research institutes, consulting companies, investment banks and independent experts, Long said.

The three-day conference would also cover Asian economic integration, balanced development among China, India and other Asian countries, energy, resources, telecommunications, financial services, innovative industries, corporate social responsibilities and environmental protection.

The BFA Annual Conference gathers together senior government officials, business executives as well as leading academics whose activities affect Asia.

The BFA on Wednesday signed agreements with major sponsors including Microsoft, SK Group, Merrill Lynch, Dongfeng-Nissan, SINOPEC,Guizhou Moutai and Deloitte.

The Asian Development Bank, Lenovo, UPS, New Fortune, Starbucks and other companies had also signed up to support the forthcoming conference, Long said.

The BFA Annual Conference 2007 has a strong list of government and business leaders who have confirmed their participation, including Edmund Ho Hau Wah, chief executive of Macao Special Administrative Region, and Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft.

Chey Tae Won, chairman of SK Group of the Republic of Korea said the BFA was one of the most important platforms for Asian countries and enterprises to communicate and exchange ideas.

Source: Xinhua