BFA Secretary-General Long: World should hear more from emerging economies

Special Report: Boao Forum For Asia
2009


By Lin Li







Long Yongtu (L), Secretary General of
Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), speaks
during an interview with Xinhuanet in Boao, a scenic
town in south China's Hainan Province, April 17, 2009. The Boao Forum for
Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2009 kicked off here Friday. (Xinhuanet
Photo)
Photo
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BOAO, HAINAN, April 17 (Xinhuanet) -- "The Boao Forum
for Asia (BFA) 2009 annual conference provides a golden opportunity for China
and other Asian emerging economies to express themselves and to let the world
hear from them under the haze of the unprecedented global financial crisis in
the history," said Long Yongtu on Friday in Boao, south China's Hainan Province.

Delegates to the Boao Forum for Aisa 2009 have found
a focus, which was jointly agreed upon by every party, to work on during the
sessions, added Long, the Secretary-General of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), during
an interview with Xinhuanet.

Many international summit meetings or sessions have
been held to deal with the crisis in the past months, including
intergovernmental and non-governmental meetings. The G20 London Summit was a
turning point, reversing the chaoic situation in which countries accused each
other for being responsible for the cause of the current crisis into one
relatively constructive to dialogues, said Long.

Boao forum with such important beginning provides an
opportunity for delegates to have a constructive dialogue on many issues related
to the financial crisis, said Long, adding, specifically, the difference between
Boao forum and the G20 Summit is that BFA is a forum mainly held by the emerging
economies.

"Apparently, the emerging economies are playing a
much bigger role in the world economy," he said, but their voices have not been
heard by the media and the people around the world clearly, distinctly and
comprehensively. "So we hope this time we will hear more from the emerging
economies."

It is indeed the time for the world to hear more from
China, from Asia, and from the emerging economies as, in the past, what we have
heard was mostly from the Western and the developed countries, stressed Long.
"That is the reason why BFA has attracted great attention from all over the
world."

Namely, the forum deals with the crisis from a new
angle, from point of view of the developing countries, from perspective of China
and other emerging economies, he added.

Boao Forum for Asia held its first annual conference
in April 2002. This year, under the theme of "Asia: Managing Beyond Crisis,"
delegates will deal with issues of challenges and prospects brought to Asia by
the global economic crisis from April 17 to 19.