How can Asia make itself better heard in the international community? The Boao Forum for Asia provides a compelling solution. Every year since 2002, politicians, business leaders and scholars from around the globe have gathered on south China's Hainan Island to discuss current issues in Asia and the world at large.

Participation reached an all time high at this year's annual conference on April 11-13. Under the theme of "Green Asia: moving toward win-win through changes," more than 1,700 participants discussed topics such as green energy, climate change, financial reform, sustainable development, China's reform and opening up, and the subprime crisis in the United States.

The high-profile participants included state leaders and heads of governments of 10 foreign countries, including Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

The Boao Forum for Asia offers an Asian perspective on development issues, showcasing to the world the dynamism of the continent, said experts of Asian studies. As the continent seeks to become more visible and vocal on the international stage, the non-governmental forum is poised to play a prominent role in facilitating understanding among China, Asia and the rest of the world, they said.

A notable conference

The 2008 annual conference of the Boao Forum for Asia was remarkable, said Zhai Kun, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. It took place during the year when China commemorates the 30th anniversary of the adoption of its reform and opening-up policy; it had more participants and was better organized than ever before; and it saw its prestige rise, Zhai said.

Zhai said the forum had three major functions-to demonstrate Asian policies, celebrate Asian thinking and realize a win-win Asia. Chinese leaders routinely make speeches at the annual conferences of the forum to analyze the opportunities and challenges facing Asia and put forward initiatives for Asian cooperation.

This year was no exception. Zhai pointed out that President Hu Jintao spoke about China's future, the relationship between China and Asia and the relationship between China and the world in his speech entitled "Continuing Reform and Opening up and Advancing Win-Win Cooperation." Reform and opening up are a crucial choice that has shaped China today, Hu said in his speech. China would work with other Asian countries to seize opportunities, meet challenges and build a peaceful and open Asia for development and cooperation, he said. China would pursue peaceful development, follow a win-win strategy of opening up and dedicate itself to building a harmonious world of lasting peace and common prosperity, Hu added.

While the West believes that Asia lacks world-leading ideas, the Boao Forum for Asia is changing that perception, Zhai said. At the forum's 2003 annual conference, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed a general theme of "a win-win Asia," which was regarded as an epoch-making concept, he said.

Shen Minghui, assistant research fellow at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), echoed Zhai's views. He said the themes of the forum's annual conferences reflect the evolvement of Asia's philosophy of development. The forum put forth the concept of "green Asia" for the first time this year, a move that testified to the growing importance attached to environmental protection, climate change and energy conservation, he said.