China praises Pakistan for Boao role

islamabad: China hopes Pakistan will continue to play a significant role in the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) for socio-economic development of the region, said a senior Chinese official.

The BFA annual conference, 2005 will be held on April 22 in Boao in China’s Hainan province. Pakistan’s strong association with BFA is evident from the fact that President Pervez Musharraf and Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, the former prime minister, attended its annual conferences in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

The official said, “We appreciate Pakistan’s active role in Boao and hopes its participation in the forthcoming conference to help achieve sustainable development in the region.” Long Yongtu, BFA’s general secretary, said the Boao provides a strong link between South Asia and East Asia and a platform to develop a mechanism for mutually beneficial partnership.

Australia’s premier, John Howard, and his Malaysian counterpart, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, will also attend the conference. There will be around 1,000 delegates from all over the world, mostly from Asian countries.

The conference, with a topic “Asia searching for Win-Win New role of Asia” would discuss wide-ranging subjects of common interest, including economic growth, trade and investment and social development. Energy will be a major topic of discussion. app

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