Nearly 2,000 people from over 60 countries to attend Boao Forum

Video Player is loading.

Current TimeÂ 0:00

DurationÂ -:-

Loaded: 0%

Stream TypeÂ LIVE

Remaining TimeÂ 0:00

China

Nearly 2,000 people from over 60 countries to attend Boao Forum

2025-03-24 16:06 Last Updated At：21:27

The Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 is set to start on Tuesday in Boao Town, Qionghai City, south China's Hainan Province, with nearly 2,000 representatives from over 60 countries and regions to attend the event.

With the theme "Asia in the changing World: Towards a shared Future," this year's event will focus on four key topics: rebuilding trust to promote cooperation, the rebalance of globalization and inclusive development, sustainable development, and the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation.

It will feature over 50 sub-forums and approximately 20 media briefings.

This year, the Forum continues to feature its green initiatives, with over 900 new energy vehicles providing shuttle and ferry services for the participants.

The event will operate entirely on green power, and for the first time, a smart power supply platform will be introduced to ensure reliable energy distribution.

"We will regularly monitor the operation of key electrical equipment and the distribution of repair teams and emergency vehicles. Even if multiple failures occur simultaneously, we can ensure reliable power supply, with automatic isolation and self-healing within milliseconds to guarantee continuous electricity throughout the forum," said Chen Ruizhong, head of the Power Supply Task Force for the forum.

Security, accommodation, and catering services for the main conference venue, Dongyu Island, have also been put in place.

"We have made special arrangements for high-level dignitaries attending the event, including catering, service support, and on-site guidance, creating a warm, welcoming atmosphere and ensuring barrier-free services," said Miao Deyu, general manager of the Operations and Management Department of COSCO Shipping Boao Co., Ltd.

On Monday afternoon, the BFA Press Center will officially open, with 1,140 media representatives from 147 media organizations across 34 countries and regions attending.

British 2025 GDP growth forecast cut in half to 1 pct

2025-03-27 22:47 Last Updated At：23:07

Britain's economy is expected to grow by only one percent in 2025, half of the previous forecast of 2 percent, said the country's finance minister on Wednesday.

Britain's public finance watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), has revised down its 2025 growth forecasts in the latest publication, confirmed British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves in her Spring Statement in the House of Commons.

Around one-third of the lower growth this year reflects what appears to be structural weakness, and this is concentrated in productivity, said the OBR, adding that the remaining two-thirds is due to what appear to be cyclical, temporary factors including higher interest rate expectations, increases in gas prices and elevated uncertainty.

Highlighting the current significant uncertainty, the OBR said that if global trade disputes escalate to include 20 percentage point rises in tariffs between the USA and the rest of the world, this could reduce UK GDP by a peak of 1 percent.

Britain's annual CPI inflation is also projected to increase from 2.5 percent in 2024 to 3.2 percent in 2025, 0.6 percentage points higher than the October forecast, said the independent watchdog.